Final Fantasy VI 2 Part I: Clyde's Journey
by MetalShadow-3000
Summary: The first part of a two-part epic that follows the return of Clyde Arrowny, formerly known as the ruthless assassin Shadow. Clyde miraculously survived the fall of Kefka's tower, and inexplicably begins to reunite with his old allies while attempting to keep his identity a secret. Soon enough, a new threat arrives that forces them to go on yet another quest to save the world.
1. Ruin to Balance

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

Disclaimer: Copyright to the Final Fantasy names in this story goes to the writers at what is now Square Enix and I do not own any characters in this story, etc. etc.

**Prologue:**

Only a few days after the grand defeat of the megalomaniacal madman, Kefka, the World of Ruin slowly began to flourish and become once again prosperous as it was in the former World of Balance. The heroes responsible for Kefka's fall were recognized at the new world capital, New Vector. A massive ceremony was held in honor of Locke Cole, Celes Chere, Terra Branford, Cyan Garamonde, Edgar and Sabin Figaro, Setzer Gabbiani, Relm Arrowny, Strago Magus, and the mysterious one known only as Gogo, the wild boy known as Gau, the massive yeti referred to as Umaro, and the Moogle known as Mog. Along with those names, a memorial was erected in memory of the equally brave mystery man known simply as Shadow, who decided to stay aboard the tower for reasons unknown to all as it was disintegrating.

The new Grand Emperor, Lord Valkin, has now set to work in repairing the damages done during the evil rule of Kefka. Now all is in peace and even the Land of Espers is beginning anew, rebuilt by the few spirits that survived the catastrophic destruction of the magical statues. But as history has shown, the Espers and mankind cannot co-exist, so the magical creatures keep in their own land, both worlds swearing solemn oaths to not stray into the other. Now is the story after the grand events of Final Fantasy III/VI.

**Chapter I – Ruin to Balance**

The evening sun was shining brilliantly along the horizon, the glow stretching across the World of Ruin, soon to be renamed to a more positive moniker in the near future. The sun's rays barely lit up a pile of crumpled dark, war-battered clothes lying in a torn pile next to the bleak ruins of the once powerful tower of Kefka. Further along, the shadow of a weary traveler slowly moved through the light. Ahead of the traveler was a small town, the village of Tzen. At first glance one would call him filthy, dirty, almost peasant-like. But he had just survived what not many else could. He was of young features, and probably no older than thirty years old. Around him he had draped what looked like a large blue blanket that was torn in several places. That blanket had once been his clothes.

He stared ahead, eyes squinting at the reflecting sunlight from the nearby ocean. His messy, brown hair blew in the soft breeze as he neared the village. He so hoped for suitable hospitality. For several hours he was trapped beneath the debris of the fallen tower, and had gotten out with his clothes torn to shreds and of no use to him any longer. He had located a small spring and stayed there for a night, too weary to move along. In the morning he tried his luck but could barely walk. Today, however, he swore that he would try, and seemed to be moving quite well.

As he walked, he slowly recalled the events that had happened in only the past few days. He remembered landing on the very tower of evil that was intended to be brought down along with its ruler, Kefka. He remembered encountering the madman at the very peak of the structure, and he could remember the grand battle with much detail. Fighting alongside his companions against a massive demon of three major tiers. Then they were pitted against the psychotic magician himself, Kefka, powered with the magic of the three statues of the Espers. When the final blow was dealt, Kefka was slain and the tower began to crumble. The young lady, Terra, transformed into her Esper form and led the entire group through the tower as it collapsed. But this lad strayed behind to stay aboard, ready to find the mystery of his life in possible death. He even remembered his faithful dog, Interceptor, seemingly unwilling to let his master go. He worried for him a little, but he knew that the young girl, Relm would take care of him. Only as he began to rest in his little spot did the ground beneath him give away as his part of the tower fell. He could remember landing on another set of ground, only to fall once more but land shortly after. Within minutes the entire tower had fallen upon him and he lay in a massive heap of glass and metal as he had finally collapsed in the Esper containment facility.

As he gathered all his thoughts he found himself only feet away from the entrance to the village. He slowly lumbered in and sought out the items shop, rummaging through his old pockets to find, luckily, 314 gil. He was surprised that he was able to keep that much, and just above the stairway entrance was the shop. He quickly made his way inside and asked for one high potion, hoping that it would be able to heal him of most of his recent injuries.

"That'll be 300 gil bud."

The man acknowledged the clerk and handed over 300 gil and received his potion. He quickly opened the top and took a big swig of the green liquid inside. Almost immediately he felt totally relaxed and set free from his pain. He could now walk with much more ease and felt better for the first time in days. He found his way outside and looked around, where an old woman approached him.

"Oh my, you look quite beat up there! What happened to you sir?"

He was a little startled by the woman's sudden appearance, but he regained himself quickly.

"I… er… had a bad encounter with a… ahem, a… uh… rabid animal of some sort…"

The woman raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat with doubt, but she didn't seem to care if he was telling the truth.

"Hmm, must've been pretty severe, considering all these cuts and just this torn old thing as your clothing. Come with me, I'll be able to fit you out with some better attire, and maybe patch you up some!"

"Er, you don't need to do that ma'am. I'm perfectly fine."

"Oh no you don't! You can't go around looking like this anyways. No, I'll clean you up a little, come on now."

Reluctantly he followed the stubborn woman into her small home. She quickly sat him down and went down the hall for a short second and came back with a bucket full of water and a rag. She set it down beside him and dipped the rag into the water, wadding it up and using it to clean off the dirt and blood all over him. After he was cleaned of that she went off again, now coming back with a pile of clothes: some brown, thin leather trousers, a white tunic along with a brown leather vest and even some travel-worthy boots and socks. She stuffed them in his hands.

"Go on into that room over there and change. You seem hungry so I'll fetch some food for you."

He slowly stood up and bustled off into the room she gestured to, shutting the door behind him. He quickly tossed the remains of his former clothes to the side and pulled on the trousers, next the tunic, then the vest, finally putting on the socks and boots and stepping out into the main room where a basket of rolls was on the table with a small jug of water next to it.

"Help yourself to some rolls now, and drink up on that water."

The man was somehow puzzled by the woman's kindness and hospitality. He wondered why he had never seen anyone like that in his past travels. Timidly he reached out and grabbed a roll. He knew he was hungry, and that he would love to just scarf the roll down, but the woman might find it unpleasant.

"Oh go on and stuff yourself with those, dearie! You've got to be starving!"

He nodded and began to devour the entire basketful of rolls. Washing them down with a big gulp of the water. He then looked up at the woman to speak.

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

"I'm always kind to the weary, and you certainly looked weary. Coming into the village with a slow walk, cuts covering your body with large patches of dirt, and of course your torn up 'clothes' as well. You seem like a special person too… what is your name?"

"My name? Er… Clyde, you can call me Clyde."

"Clyde it is then! Feel free to stay here as long as you wish. I've got my son's room ready as a guest room for anyone, since he's gone of to the military."

"Thank you ma'am… I appreciate all you're doing. I doubt I would've lived much longer had you not approached me."

"Oh, don't mention it Clyde, I'm always willing to help the needy."

And for the first time in a long time, Clyde felt himself smile… it was an incredibly relieving and warm feeling that he got from this woman. It had been a while since he had emotions like this. Ever since he took on his second life, he had supposedly killed them off. Yet now, sitting in this kindly woman's house, it seemed that everything of his former life had been revived. The name Shadow would never concern him again.


	2. The First Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter II – The First Dream**

As the moon cast its light upon the village, Clyde retired to the guest room of the old lady's house. He shut the door and fell back onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Then he began to descend into the world of dreams as he so often did…

He looked up to see the branches of several dark trees, covering up most of the moonlight as it fell to his position. He then checked his surroundings, and quickly gathered that he was in a forest of some sort. Clyde slowly began to step forward; keeping a wary eye open, for this place did not seem too welcoming. He treaded along the path with his senses prepared. He was listening to every sound that passed his ears as he progressed past the dark trees. Soon he came to a fork in the path and chose to go right, noticing that the left path had an apparent lack of moonlight, something not very promising from previous experience.

As he continued on through the forest something caught his eye. He looked down at the barely moonlight path as he went along. He couldn't see his own shadow as he continued… something else's shadow was covering his. He heard the soft sound of rustling, as if the branches were moving, but he didn't dare look up as he made his way through the mysterious forest. The soft rustling continued to follow him throughout his journey, and he was so tempted to peer up at what might be following him, but he knew that something bad would happen if he did… so he kept his eyes either down at the path, or just straight ahead into the darkness of the forest. He kept his total attention on anything but his pursuer. He stared at a few objects in the path, like rocks or something, but the only thing that he couldn't get away from was the constant rustling of the branches above him. He could feel himself begin to sweat as he tensed up, still keeping a good pace and trying to get across without letting his follower know he acknowledged it.

As he increased his distance, the urge to discover whom his follower was also increased. He looked around and found a long branch that would suffice as a weapon if needed, so he quickly grabbed it and continued. The rustling seemed to grow louder as he held the stick like a weapon, ready to strike out at anything that attacked him. Suddenly he could've sworn that he heard the cold sound of deep, almost feral sounding breaths behind him. They were very powerful breaths too, indicating something of moderate to large size following him. He kept going, and kept going, until the suspense became too much, he whirled around, looking straight up at the branches with the stick ready to strike…

Nothing was there.

He was positive that he heard someone following him, and he began to even look around in all directions, only to find nothing. He looked down at the ground finally to discover that the shadow that covered his earlier had disappeared. It must've been his mind playing tricks on him… but then again how did those sounds seem so real? And how is the large shadow's presence explained? Clyde continued to question himself until he saw something bright shining at the end of the path. The light suddenly began to grow brighter by the second. Soon it became so bright that he had to cover his face and then…

He was awake, sitting up in the bed to see the morning sun shining in his face through a window. He looked around puzzled. It must've only been a dream, obviously. He slowly gathered his thoughts as he tried to wake up more. Throwing his legs over the side and standing up from the bed, he took a good look outside. He just realized that when he was practically committing suicide on Kefka's tower, he had not expected to ever see the sun or even the moon to rise again… but he had lived, and thus he had seen both. For some reason this gave him a sense of fulfillment. Suddenly he heard some noises outside his room; the sounds of multiple voices talking. He opened the door and stepped out into the main room of the house to find the old woman sitting with a bunch of young children around her. She looked up to see him coming from the hall.

"Ah, you're finally up Clyde! I'm a little busy today with my business but there's a money pouch for you on the counter so that you may get yourself some food and whatever supplies you might need. Don't you stay out too long, you hear?"

Clyde nodded with a soft smile, the kids were staring at him intently as he moved across the room and grabbed the pouch, quickly stepping outside. He took a nice sniff of the morning air. He felt so refreshed, and he hadn't felt this way in a long time. It seemed that the people of Tzen were wide-awake and already happily preparing for the day ahead. All the shops were open; people were walking amongst the streets conversing with one another, and even some children were at play in the grassy areas. Clyde strolled through the small town, nothing really on his mind. He found himself something to eat at the items shop, and then he noticed the nearby weapons and armor shops. He felt a strange longing to have his hands on a lethal weapon of some sort; it was a sub-conscious desire to once again wield a blade, and even to fight.

But deep down he knew that he wanted to start his life over as Clyde again, not the mystery man known as Shadow. He couldn't let that past return. If he were lucky, no one would even recognize him as the former Shadow. But to start his life over… would he go back to his thieving ways? It seemed a more suitable position than an assassin. He pondered heavily, just standing in the middle of the street. He knew that he was good enough to once again be a thief, but he knew that it'd be too much of a hassle on him to have a partner… He had let Baram down before; he would not make the same mistake with someone else. Clyde would go solo, Hell, he might be able to take the 'thieving' pressure off Locke and maybe the world will finally recognize him as a treasure hunter as he often wished. Clyde finally began moving his feet and he was in the shop in no time. He checked the pouch to see a left over 1525 gil. He was surprised that the lady could spare enough to even give that much. When he reached the counter he asked the clerk to show him their selection. Presented before him were the perfect weapons to suit his former companions… but nothing for him. He was about to turn away and leave until the clerk piped up:

"We've also got a special little thing that someone sold to us just a few days ago. No one has wanted to buy it since then."

The clerk reached down and pulled out a fine-looking cutlass that appeared to have only recently been made. It had a smooth, polished hilt of iron that seemed to have the shine of silver mixed into it, and the blade itself was made of strong steel, perfectly curved to the proper size of any master's cutlass. Clyde doubted he would be able to afford such a thing.

"It'll be just about… oh say 5000 gil?"

"Er, thanks for you time, but I can manage…"

Clyde almost turned away when the clerk blurted out,

"Alright, 4750?"

Clyde sighed.

"I don't have near that much."

The clerk seemed almost distraught but he nodded, putting all the weapons back up as Clyde left the shop.

Outside, Clyde continued on to the armor shop, once again coming across the luck of not being able to afford anything, even with his extra 14 gil from yesterday. He strolled around the town out of having nothing better to do with his time but ponder over his life anew. Clyde noticed some people working on what looked to be a new house being built. Then he had remembered his last visit here. Before he had been rescued from the cave on the Veldt, the former MagiTek general Celes had encountered Sabin, the wild fist fighter and brother of the king of Figaro, Edgar Figaro. He remembered their description of Sabin lifting up the entire structure of the collapsing house while Celes rescued the child trapped inside. They were all celebrated as heroes. Was he the only one to not be recognized by anybody for anything? He finally turned away from the construction and moved along, not having much else to go because of the size of the village. He thought about possibly traveling southward, towards Albrook, but without any weapons he would be dead within a few minutes from the various creatures roaming about. He was surprised that he hadn't encountered any as he traveled days before.

Clyde let the thoughts sit on his mind as he stared blankly into the vast plain from the entrance of the town. He figured he could try his luck and see if he might be left alone by the creatures of this land. However, he definitely would return to Tzen later, as the old lady would most certainly not wish him to leave… and he had no idea where to leave to anyway. Quickly he stepped out onto the soft dirt, feeling the cool breeze from the west. He took a few cautious steps forward, keeping an eye open for anything. Finally, he began to walk casually; hardly feeling any fear of the wild. He had traveled it many times before, but of course those were times when he had armor and a weapon at hand. Then it happened. Right from behind he felt a forceful push and he was knocked forward onto the dirt. He quickly rolled to the side to dodge whatever else he might be hit with. When he regained himself, he was looking straight into the eyes of a vicious wolf-like creature known as a Lunadok. It snarled maliciously, ready to attack at any second. The only thing Clyde could hope to fight it with were his bare fists, and though he did not have the strength of most; his accuracy could not be beat.

"Come on you wild fiend, leap at me!" he taunted

The beast growled deeply, lowering its head a little, but keeping eye contact with Clyde. It leapt forward with great speed, but Clyde was ready; he sidestepped and thrust his fist forward and hurled it into the side of the animal's face, bowling it over onto its side. As it got up, it appeared to be dizzy. It turned to look at Clyde and simply ran off after that. Clyde began to laugh in triumph until he heard a strange sound from behind; turning around, he found himself staring into the massive torso of a large, bipedal purple beast with a lion-like face, two short horns above its eyes, three fierce looking claws, several spikes along the tip of its tail, and a very mean disposition.

"Behemoth…"

Clyde had fought these beasts many times before, and had even fought their largest species, but those times he was well equipped. The Lunadok was only ¼ larger than his former pet, Interceptor, so that had been no problem… but this beast was almost 3 times larger than he. Clyde pondered over the idea of running, but he knew that these, although big, were also very fast, and Tzen was many yards away, too far for him to escape his present plight. Suddenly he heard a loud yell to his right…

"Ah-ha! Another vile behemoth, let's fix this problem guys!"

He saw a group of four men riding on the backs of the common 'horse' of the world, Chocobos, giant yellow chicken-like birds. One of them, the leading one, seemed to be vaguely familiar as he came closer. He noticed that the Behemoth took heed of them as well, snarling as they neared their position. Soon, Clyde was standing off to the side as the four Chocobo riders leapt off their rides and faced the growling monster. He immediately recognized the leader; it was Sabin Figaro, the fist-fighting brother to the King of Figaro, Edgar. Sabin had changed his attire since he last saw him atop Kefka's tower. He was dressed in studded dark leather trousers, which looked very tough, and his torso was only covered by a leather vest identical to Clyde's own. On his feet were just a simple pair of moccasin-shoes, and attached to his hand was his deadly fighting claw, which he had grown quite skilled with obviously. The other men were adorned in the outfits worn by Figaro Castle guards, so Clyde guessed they were some routine patrol group of some sort. Why they were in this region, however, he knew not.

Sabin made the first strike, hitting the beast hard in the chest. Just as it was about to lunge back at him, the three guards prodded it with their spears, making it step back, giving Sabin the chance for another strike, which he landed on the creature's leg. Once again it almost went after him until the guards began prodding it again, but this time it didn't back off. Its massive claw swung around and struck a guard directly in the face, sending him sprawling back several feet. He landed on his stomach and appeared to be unconscious. Then it charged down the other two guards and sent them to the ground, trampling them with its feet. When it got off them, Clyde was sure they were dead, the large puddle of blood beneath them confirmed it. Sabin quickly began to circle the animal, taunting it with his weapon. Clyde could hear its agitation in the deep, bellowing growls that it emitted.

"Hey! You there! You know how to handle a spear?"

Clyde was a little startled at Sabin addressing him, but he was glad that he obviously hadn't been recognized as Shadow.

"No, but I can throw them quite well."

"Good enough. Fetch those over there and see of you can get this bastard in the back so that I can hit him as he's distracted!"

Clyde nodded and quickly ran over to the dead guards, grabbing the two spears next to them. He held one firmly in his right hand; ready to strike when the Behemoth's back was exposed. Finally he found his opening and threw the spear forward with all his might. The monster let out a loud roar into the air as the spearhead embedded itself deep into its back. It whirled around to face Clyde with menacing eyes; he held the second spear at the ready. Sabin now took his chance and slashed the creature across the back; it let out another roar and turned away from Clyde to face Sabin. Clyde kept the spear ready; he wondered how it could handle so much pain. Its entire back was covered in blood, some of it even making small puddles on the ground, but it was like a locomotive.

"Quick! Throw the spear!"

Clyde broke from his thought process and immediately acted, hurling the second spear as strong as the first. This time it went down and stuck into the Behemoth's leg, causing it to roar, and also fall to a knee. Sabin took his chance and raised his fighting claw, bringing it down straight into the creature's neck. Clyde heard it let out a loud yelp until its body then became limp and it fell completely to the ground, Sabin's claw covered in blood. He flicked his wrist and most of the blood fell off and splattered on the dirt. He then approached Clyde.

"Wow, those are some throwing skills you've got there. None of the guards at Figaro would've been able to do that. What's your name?"

"Clyde… just Clyde."

"Clyde. Well alright Clyde, you just stay out of trouble out here. Lots of dangerous creatures still roam the place even though Kefka is gone. Farewell."

Clyde nodded and Sabin ran over to the first fallen guard. He shook him around a little and the man came to consciousness, Sabin helping him up. Clyde then turned his attention to the south. He was obviously closer to Albrook because the ruins of the tower were close as well. He then heard Sabin calling to him.

"Hey Clyde! You know how to ride one of these?"

Clyde turned around to see Sabin gesturing to one of the left over Chocobos.

"Yeah."

"Well then take one of em! I owe you for helping me fight that thing!"

"I feel more that I am in debt to you for saving me from it."

"Nonsense! It's our job to break down the population of beasts as mean as those anyways! So take the damn Chocobo!"

Clyde shrugged and ran over to the grazing Chocobos, hastily climbing on one. Sabin wished him goodbye as he and the recovered guard rode off towards Tzen. Clyde grabbed hold of the Chocobo and set it off towards Albrook. He was actually glad that he had come across the Behemoth. Otherwise he might still be walking and might've encountered something further south while Sabin's patrol was busy fighting the Behemoth. Besides that, he had gotten a quick ride to the town as well, and within less than a minute he had arrived at the entrance to the town of Albrook. He sighed with relief as he leapt off his Chocobo and set it free into the wild. He might be able to find some better help here.


	3. New Recognition

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter III – New Recognition**

Clyde took a good look at the town before him. It had obviously gotten some work done to make it more appealing since he saw it last time. He strolled along the street, listening to the sounds of ocean waves splashing against the nearby beach; it made the town seem so peaceful. Not many people were stirring, most just moving in and out of the shops, and minding their own business.

His main goal was to find some sort of weapon to buy, but after checking both shops, they had the same selections as Tzen's wares, excluding the fine cutlass. He stopped by the pub to see if any excitement was happening there, but to his dismay it was almost empty, save for four people and the bartender. He turned out and continued on to the back of the town, constantly pondering a way to even gain a little money. He figured that he wouldn't have much luck here, so he decided to go back to Tzen and possibly catch some lunch if the old lady had any.

Clyde proceeded across the plain with great care. Taking heed of all his surroundings, making sure no monsters were in sight. After a few minutes of walking he had made it safely back to the tower ruins, but Tzen was still quite a ways away. Of course, now that he was no longer injured and hurting, the walk would not take but several minutes. Still, it wasn't the length that made him worry; it was the sight of fresh footprints in the dirt, going towards Tzen. They were large footprints too; possibly another Behemoth, maybe something larger? Clyde didn't want to stick around to find out if any others were near, however, so he continued on his way, following the tracks but keeping a good eye up ahead.

Lucky for him, the footprints curved away and went off towards the east, and the rest of the way seemed clear. But he still remained cautious and quickened his pace a little; the sooner he arrived in the town, the far better he would feel about this. Soon enough the entrance was only yards away, and he felt far better than he had before, and he neared the town with ease, until suddenly, something large came just around the corner of one of the streets and dashed out the entrance, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying to the side. He quickly gathered himself and was just able to make out the faint outline of the thing in the distance. It had a bulky build, and it appeared to have long arms as well. Then he noticed that it walked on its feet and knuckles, like a modern gorilla does, and when he looked at its back, he guessed that it was carrying something, but soon it just disappeared across the horizon line.

Clyde quickly got up and ran into the town to find a group of people surrounding a man and a woman who were vividly crying. The old lady caught sight of him and drew him near.

"What's going on here?"

"Some big, horrendous beast came into the village! Came after those two people and took their child! Oh how I wish New Vector would at least give us some proper defense around here! Figaro's patrols just aren't enough!"

Clyde could see the despair the couple was feeling. Their tears had made a small puddle at their feet because of their intense crying. Suddenly he noticed that the man was the clerk at the weapons shop, and the man also noticed him and almost immediately stopped crying.

"You there! You just came to my shop this morning didn't you?"

Clyde nodded timidly.

"So that means you must be able to handle a weapon?"

Again, he nodded.

"Excellent! What do you say we make a deal? How's about I give you that cutlass for free, and you go and kill that retched son of a bitch beast and bring our child back?"

Clyde just stood there with his eyes wide. The cutlass would be his, and all he would need to do was slay the beast! He was perfectly adept with a sword and if he could bring down the powerful Kefka, surely that monster would be no problem! But then again, he almost thought that this would be too much for him, because if he succeeded, the people would recognize him as a hero, and he didn't want to be known as a hero… but the chance to actually be able to go places was more than enough!

"Aye! I'll do it!"

The man looked about as if he could hug Clyde as he jumped for joy, rushing to his shop quickly. The young lady approached him.

"Oh, thank you sir… you will be properly awarded when you return with our child."

Clyde simply gave a curt nod as the man came rushing down the stairs that lead up to his shop with the cutlass in hand. He stopped in front of Clyde and presented him with the weapon.

"I'm sure I can trust someone like you to do this for us."

"Do not worry, I shall bring your daughter back. Swordsmanship is not something unknown to me."

Suddenly another voice piped up.

"Sir! You also came to my armor shop this morning too, did you not?"

Clyde nodded.

"Well… I'd like you to take this armor for vowing to such a brave deed."

The man approached him with a full set of armor in his hands. It was an entire mythril set complete with a helmet, body suit, leg armor, and even a shield. Clyde gratefully took the armor from the man and nodded in thanks. All this seemed to be happening so fast, one minute he was fighting a massive Behemoth and only now was he actually going to be able to really fight something himself. He quickly bustled into the old lady's house and suited up in there, coming out completely prepared for this new quest. The crowd applauded as he came out, cheering him on in good spirits. The old lady quickly shoved a bundle of food and a canister of water in his hands.

"Stay well Clyde, stay well."

He nodded to her and set off to the outside, the cheers of the village still following him as he began to walk through the dusty lands. They finally died out as he got further away from the town, and now he was alone with only the sound of the soft breeze to keep him company. Clyde kept a speedy pace as he moved along, the cutlass held tightly in his right hand and his shield in the other. He felt a sense of fulfillment being out here, protected and prepared to fight any dangerous creatures, then he suddenly had an epiphany… he had no idea where to look for the creature he was hunting.

Clyde remembered seeing it going south, so he was at least starting in the right direction, but the only thing down there was Albrook, and he doubted it would be there… so there must be something else the creature was escaping to. But he obviously had no idea what, so he figured it would be a good idea to see if the people of Albrook could be of any assistance in locating whatever it was.

He continued walking across the open plain with the sun shining brightly overhead, lighting up the sky and the land. After a good while of walking he was coming close to the ruins, so that meant he was past halfway there. Clyde still kept wary of his surroundings. Even though he was no longer the assassin Shadow, or weaponless, he was not invincible out here. He was perfectly vulnerable to anything just as any other person would be. Now he was beginning to worry about the possibility of the creature he was pursuing to not be the only one. There could be a whole nest of the things, and he would've possibly been able to take them at the side of his old friends, but alone he would fall within minutes. However, if the people of Albrook were informative enough, he might be able to prepare for what he was to come up against.

Clyde certainly appeared to have lost track of time, because he suddenly found himself inside the town without realizing he had stepped in. He guessed that he was so caught up in his thoughts he sub-consciously kept moving his feet quickly enough to make it to the town. But now to find some information… and he had no clue as of where to look first. Clyde recalled that when he had first seen Locke it was in the pub at South Figaro, and the next time it was the pub at Kohlingen… maybe he could find somebody at the pub here to help out.

Clyde peered his head in through the door, observing the people inside… the same as last time, although he had just been here not too long ago. One was a brightly dressed man with a bunch of birds in cages around his table; at another table was a young couple kissing passionately, not very enticing to Clyde. The other person was just a simple commoner with several drinks on his table, and he was obviously drunk. The bartender looked like the only one who could be of a slight help, and he even doubted he would get much out of him… but he wanted to try his luck. So, Clyde casually walked up to the bar and gestured for the bartender.

"What can I getcha?"

"I'm not interested in a drink, only in information."

"Alrighty… I know a few things. What do you want to know?"

"Do you know of a creature in these parts that is very bulky in build and has very long arms, and it walks on its feet and knuckles?"

"Interesting that you ask that, because that damned thing has only appeared just lately, and it's been scaring off the merchants who sell their goods here!"

"Would you have any idea of where the beast might dwell?"

"Well, some of the merchants have said it often hangs around that big crevice that appeared when Kefka set off his tower's power. Blasted a big ol' crack in the ground, and that's probably where it might live."

"Well, thank you very much, I never expected to get all this! Good day."

"Good day sir."

Clyde quickly left the pub and the town, running along the plain to the east to find the initial spot in the earth where Kefka's tower had fired upon. Sure enough, there was a massive crevice in the earth and it went down probably hundreds of feet. He came close and peered down to see many edges jutting out of the sides along with a few rocks as perfect footholds. It appeared as if it were meant to be a living space down there because it would be so easy to get down to. Listening intently, he could almost hear the growling of the creature, or at least the echoes of it. Clyde stood there for a while, gripping his sword tightly, closing his eyes for a second, and taking in a deep breath. He finally gathered himself enough, then leapt down onto the first ledge; then the second; the third; and he kept going down, descending into the darkness.

For a moment Clyde had to keep his eyes closed, trying to get accustomed to the blackness around him, the only light available was that of the sun's, shining through the crevice only a little. This almost felt like a massive canyon to him, and he immediately located the lair of the creature, for it was the only opening in the side that had several bones around it. This made Clyde rather nervous. Another problem he faced was visibility. How in the hell would he be able to see where he was going? It was already dark enough at the bottom of the crevice with the ledges capturing the sunlight. He was about to take his first step closer to the beast's home until he heard something behind him. Quickly he whirled around, blade at the ready, but nothing was there. He turned in all directions, eyes wide, looking for whatever it was that he heard. Suddenly he froze with terror… looking down at the little sunlight over him previously. It was gone. Ever so slowly he raised his head, looking straight up. There it was.

The enormous monster was only about half the size of a Behemoth, but it was much wider in the shoulders, and its arms were far more muscular; the fur was almost white as snow, covering its entire body. The face was almost box shaped and flat in the front. The nostrils were thin, it's eyes very large, and it's bottom lip curved up a little and two large teeth pointed up from the bottom lip. He just stared in terror at it for a moment, not daring to make a sudden move. The creature just stared right back, its eyes full of menace. Despite the strange resemblance to one of his old companions, Umaro the Yeti, this creature was definitely not he. Clyde could feel sweat all over his body… on his face, hands, chest, everything. He could feel the hot breath of the monster blowing on his face. He gripped his cutlass and shield tighter. The monster seemed to clutch its own fists tighter, hanging on to the ledge above. Clyde was completely frozen. Times before this he had been able to fight, but with this massive thing so close and so large before him, he lost all his former courage. His persona of Shadow had completely left him and now he was just a thief with a weapon. Then it finally broke the ice by letting out a startling roar which caused Clyde to leap out of the way in reflex, just as the creature's massive paw came crashing down onto the earth that he was standing on.

Clyde held his shield close to him, the sword ready to strike as the beast turned to face him, it let out a loud growl, slowly coming towards him. He kept his sword ready and both of them kept eye contact as they circled around each other slowly; following one another's every move. Almost catching him off guard, the creature leapt forward with its paws swinging through the air. Clyde quickly ducked just as the first arm almost hit him square in the face. He followed up by setting off a spin behind the creature and slashing it sharply across the back, causing it to roar out in pain. Clyde only had seconds to raise his shield as both paws came spinning around straight at him. The collision caused him to be thrown several yards away, and both the cutlass and shield to fly off in different directions, clattering against the crevice wall. Clyde painfully stood and saw the beast rushing towards him just in time to dodge the attack. He quickly located the cutlass and grabbed it just in time to evade another charge by the creature, causing it to smash head-on into the crevice wall; as it hit, its arms became outstretched and Clyde took the chance, raising his sword high and bringing it straight down roughly.

The monster roared in intense pain as the blade sliced clean through its wrist; the severed, bloody hand lay still on the ground. Clyde was amazed at how sharp the blade was, and how weak the monster's bones were. It whirled around blindly, swinging its other arm in Clyde's direction; he barely saw it coming and was slashed across the face with the tip of the longest claw, leaving a long, bloody gash on his cheek. He dropped to the ground to dodge the second swipe and slammed the sharp edge of his blade against the creature's leg, forcing it against it and pulling sharply. But before he could even think about getting up, the creature's foot had slammed against his face, sending him hurdling back into the earthen wall of the crevice. He groaned in pain, hardly able to move now, but he noticed that with a severely cut leg, the creature couldn't move well either. It had fallen into a kneeling position, a puddle of blood surrounding the knee from its leg, and the bloody stump that had once been its hand rested near its chest, its fur was now a pinkish color. The two stared at each other for a long time, both obviously in great pain.

Clyde could feel the pain throughout his entire body, but he still pressed on, forcing himself to stand while the beast was down. He had finally been able to get up on both legs but he had to lean back against the wall, barely able to walk. The creature watched him carefully, suddenly roaring loudly. Clyde held the cutlass with both hands; he was hurting, but he knew that he could slay the creature and put an end to the trouble it had caused. He pushed himself forward, first coming into a slight stumble but finally catching himself, raising the sword high; he now felt powerful beyond anything else, the pain faded, and he had the urge of victory in his hands. He did it so fast that he could barely see it with his own eyes… the sword came down… blood flashed before him… the creature went slack and fell… dead.

Clyde stared into the lifeless creature's face, leaning on the hilt of his sword. The pain had come back and he still could hardly stand. Large specks of blood covered most of the dirt, and Clyde could care less about it. He had almost completed his mission, now he had to find the child. Looking around he spotted his shield at the very end of the crevice on his side. So he quickly hobbled over and fetched it, carrying it back over to the entrance of the creature's den. It was painful to move about, but he promised those people he would bring the child back, and so he would. He looked over at the opposite wall of the crevice to see diagonal rays of sun shining down. He figured it must be almost evening, but it was actually brighter at the bottom than it was in the afternoon. That's when he gathered up his idea to start off with.

Clyde slowly made his way to the edge, right in the path of the sunlight. He grabbed his shield and stood it upright, catching the sun's shine on the polished metal. The light reflected off the shield and glinted onto the wall opposite him. He adjusted the shield so that the light was shining into the entry of the creature's den. Almost instantly he heard a strange sound, as if something was moving inside there. By Hell it hopefully wasn't another one of those beasts. Clyde braced himself just in case, hearing the sound come closer and closer to the entry way until…

"Hey mister! That light's too bright!"

Clyde lowered his shield a little, keeping the light out of the person's eyes. It was a little boy…

"Are you the one that was taken from your parents today?"

"Uh-huh… that big scary monster just left me here in the dark. I saw your light, so I figured that it must be help."

"Well today's your lucky day kid, help is here."

The kid smiled brightly at him, and Clyde couldn't help but smile back. He even felt more relaxed now that he had successfully completed his mission. He tried to stand and could do so with a little more ease. He figured he would at least make it to the top of the crevice.

"Well kid, come on; your parents are waiting for you at the village."

Clyde quickly took hold of the boy, getting him started on climbing up the ledges. He followed quickly behind, tossing the cutlass and shield up on the ledge before he climbed it. The boy was up to the top in no time, but it took Clyde several minutes to finally reach the top, his pain coming back a little in the legs.

"Alright kid, let's get back to the village."

He hobbled closely behind the kid as they headed north towards Tzen, the evening sun turning the dirt an orange hue, the sky turning pinkish-orange. It wasn't long before the two passed the entire ruins, marking the halfway point of their trip. Gradually Clyde began to feel better. The kid was happily skipping the entire time, Clyde anxious to be back inside the village, safe from everything in the wild. But the kid didn't have a care in the world; he just seemed so jolly. Clyde thought it best that way. Kids shouldn't be worried about things; their life goes easy so they should just stay happy until they get old and have to deal with the bullshit that comes with age. It'd be too much of a hassle on them for worries and grievances… that was the job of the adults.

Finally, after a good while of walking (and the kid skipping), the village entrance was now in plain sight. The kid jumped with joy and ran quickly towards the town, his little legs pumping full of energy and excitement. Clyde let out a deep breath, sighing with total relief now. He would soon be there, and he would be able to rest soundly in the old lady's house. He didn't even feel the need to eat or drink the food she had given him. His thoughts were on other things… until something appeared in the corner of his eye.

"Oh, shit… KID, GET DOWN!"

Clyde's yell seemed to attract the boy's attention, so as he ran he tried to turn around and listen but ended up falling back onto the ground instead. But it was lucky that he did, because at that instant a massive, eagle-like bird swooped down, almost impaling the child with its beak, but it narrowly missed; screeching into the air as it wheeled around. Clyde was horrified, and his legs hurt so badly that he couldn't run to the child's aid!


	4. The Second Dream & the Beginning of Clyd...

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter IV – The Second Dream & the Beginning of Clyde's Journey**

Clyde took a large step forward, but with the pain surging through his legs he immediately fell to his knees. The bird dove back down towards the child, but a rock collided with the side of its head as a villager rushed out of the town, eyes wide. The animal cawed at the attacker, knocked off its course as the boy lay screaming, frightened by the loud sounds. Once it recovered, it know turned its attention to the villager, scared out of his wits with the rest of the people who had come to his side, watching in horror.

Clyde painfully crawled towards Tzen as fast as possible, hoping to get the bird to round on him instead. He even tried shouting to it, but to no avail. The animal stalked towards the villager on its talons as the attacking villager backed up into the town. Clyde had to think quickly; he rapidly tried to pull himself forward with his shield and cutlass. He so hoped that Sabin or someone capable of fighting was here. Even during the Behemoth battle he had only been able to simply throw a spear… then it dawned on him. Of course! Throwing! He looked at his shield first. He could throw that to get the bird's attention, and then he could hurl the sword at it as it turned around. Clyde held his shield by the edges as if about to throw a Frisbee. He slowly got up onto his knees, taking careful aim, using one eye to pinpoint his target. Finally he was ready, and he pulled back and flicked his wrist forward with all his might.

The shield sailed through the air, spinning rapidly as it came closer to the animal, its sights still set on the villagers as it got closer. It let out another loud screech, hoping to startle the people, but suddenly it let out a startled yelp of its own as the shield struck hard into its back. It shook its head, distraught as it whirled around to find its new prey. But it saw Clyde only a split second before the whistling cutlass came straight at it and the pointed end collided with its chest, thrusting through with great force.

Clyde watched and listened as the bird gave a slight gurgle before falling over sideways, limp as a doll, with a large protrusion sticking out from its chest and back. He tried to stand, but couldn't bear the pain, so once again he fell onto the dirt, face first. Soon he could hear the sounds of several feet moving. Only seconds later he felt himself being hoisted up lifted slowly by many hands. He watched the couple carry the little boy back into the village, soothing him, hugging and kissing him, and two others pulled the cutlass out of the bird and fetched his shield, following the group that carried him. Clyde felt dead tired… so he trailed off to sleep while being carried into the town.

Not much later, Clyde awoke slowly, his eyes flickering before fully opening up to see many people staring at him as he lay in a bed. Slowly he began to sit up, taking a good look at the people as they took a good look at him in return. He felt a little nervous being surrounded by so many, and they were all smiling as well; then he noticed the man and woman at the foot of his bed. The man cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Sir, we cannot thank you enough for doing this for us. You have given us our grace back with our son. We now celebrate you as our village hero!"

Everyone in the room applauded him. He just sat there in bed, feeling a little warm inside. He even felt a great lack of pain in his body. They must've healed him somehow. The mother made her way around the people and came to the side of his bed, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He felt even warmer at this new feeling. She smiled and went back to join her husband and their child, the little boy he had rescued.

"Mister! Thanks for saving me from the scary monster thingy! It mighta eated me up!"

Clyde grinned.

"Don't mention it kid."

Soon the people wished him goodbye and all left the room, leaving the old lady in there with him.

"My, my, I never would've thought of you as a fighter, but it seems so. Did you have a former occupation?"

Clyde swallowed.

"Well, I did, but it wasn't anything like that… I guess it comes naturally."

"Oh no you don't, no need for that old BS! Come on, tell me who you really are!"

"I… can't. It's a past I am trying to forget."

"Oh please… I swear I won't tell anyone. You can trust an old lady like me."

"No, I'd rather just be known as Cl-"

"You little brat! Just tell me who you are! I won't tell no one!"

Clyde was really nervous now… but he found somehow that he could trust this lady. She was so nice to him. It wasn't often that he found generous people, until meeting Locke and his allies. He sighed and decided it would be best to let her know, and he was certain she wouldn't tell.

"Alright… I am a former assassin, and before that I was a train robber."

It felt like the butterflies in his stomach pounded around inside there as the lady's eyes got wide, and her mouth was half open, gaping.

"Seriously? So why were you so beat up when you came here? I figure an assassin wouldn't be so badly beaten up like that!"

"Does the name Shadow bring anything to mind?"

The woman gasped, putting her hands over her mouth, eyes even wider now.

"Y-y-you're him! THE Shadow? The famous Shadow whom is presumed dead!"

"Obviously…"

Clyde couldn't believe he was revealing all this. It was like she was his best friend in the whole world. But for an old lady, she didn't seem to have a drop of fear that a former assassin was in her house, just a bit of surprise. Finally she pulled her hand away and smiled.

"You're recognized as a hero you know…"

"Well, I was just in here when they said it…"

"No, I mean by the world… you and the rest of those people were recognized at a celebration in the capital of New Vector. You were the only one not present because they figured you dead, so a memorial statue has been made and it stands in the center of New Vector."

Clyde suddenly felt terribly strange inside… he was recognized as a hero by the world? He certainly hadn't expected this, but as most people say… shit happens. He waited a while to take everything that had just happened in. There was a very uncomfortable silence in the room as he and the lady just looked at each other.

"Well, former assassin, do not fear… your secret is perfectly safe with me.

"Thank you miss…"

"Oh, please, just call me Rosa."

"Ok… thank you Rosa."

She smiled and left the room, bustling around to the kitchen to begin making supper. Clyde continued to sit there, still pondering things until he finally decided to get out of the bed.

He stepped into the main room, listening to the sounds of Rosa setting out pots and pans and the like as he took a seat. Now he began to wonder about his being a hero in this town… would he receive anything? Suddenly, there was a knock at the door; Rosa walked over quickly and pulled it open. Clyde could hear a man's voice.

"Clyde's presence is requested outside miss."

"Clyde! Come, you are needed outside!"

Clyde stood slowly, making his way to the door to see one of the villagers there. In the background he could see what might've been the entire village waiting for him. He felt a lump in his throat but he continued on, stepping outside to a warm applause. Standing ahead of everyone else were the man, woman and their child who beckoned him. Clyde made his way to them with swift steps, stopping in front of them with a straight posture.

"Well Clyde, you obviously know that you are being honored as a hero… so of course you will most certainly be in line to receive something for your brave duties. On behalf of my family and I… we present you with this fine new cutlass; far better than your former weapon."

The man held out an even fancier looking cutlass than his previous one. It had a hilt made of black stained steel with rows of shimmering sapphires lining it. The blade was obviously very sharp as the other, given the incredibly thin edge. It also appeared to be made of a darker metal than steel, but most likely stronger, even though Clyde was unable to identify it immediately.

He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it to himself, examining it closer. It seems that his heroism paid off… he felt proud of himself while at the same time feeling somewhat modest.

"Thank you sir, miss… this is wonderful. I will hold on to this blade for as long as I live."

The crowd clapped happily, and soon there was a whole line formed of people presenting gifts to Clyde. From the armor shop clerk he received an even finer set of armor and a shield made from an unknown metal; from the items shop clerk he was given a full set of 10 high potions, and 10 medicines, along with a bag to carry them in. Another person gave him a one-time-use only fold-up tent for whenever he needed to rest out in the wild. The rest of the gifts were just various items that people had gotten for cheap prices.

Finally when the gifts had been distributed to him, Clyde thanked them all several times for such an honor. As the sun was barely peeking over the horizon they clapped for him one last time as he went back into Rosa's house, supper already prepared.

Later, when the moon was high in the sky, partially covered by clouds, Clyde decided to retire to his bed. The day had obviously been very hard on him, and he needed a good rest, especially from the small pain he still felt from earlier. He felt glad now that he had done his heroic duty. He had saved someone's life and had now been accepted into the village. He was even promised special discounts at the shops from then on. But he certainly wouldn't let this go to his head… he was too modest now that he no longer played the role of Shadow. But all these thoughts were too much for now, and he decided he'd best get some rest before thinking about it very much. Clyde reclined back and got comfortable, shutting his eyes and going to sleep very quickly… once again a chance to visit the world of dreams…

This time he was in a room, and it was vibrating. He could also hear noises outside, which immediately led him to believe that he was aboard a train. Clyde took a good look at his surroundings, only seeing the dull, brown colored walls and a few boxes up against them. Up at the front of the room he saw a door, so he slowly edged toward it and grabbed the handle, pulling it open. Only inches ahead was the next boxcar, and on the outside of the train he could see trees whizzing past. These trees looked oddly familiar, and when he looked closer he could see their darkness, and he guessed that he was in the same forest as his previous dream… only on board a train.

He stepped his way across to the other boxcar and entered. He noticed a familiar sight which told him exactly where he was… there were several tables and chairs around the room, and at the other side were two ghastly figures dressed as waiters…

"This must be the Phantom Train…"

Clyde remembered this place easily; recalling how he, Sabin, and the brave swordsman of Doma Castle called Cyan had come across it while traveling through Phantom Forest on the way to Baren Falls. This vehicle's job was to carry the recently deceased to the "other side". After recollecting the past, Clyde then wondered… why was he here? Suddenly he heard a voice call to him, which made him jump.

"Hey you! You're Clyde aint ya? The big boss was looking for you in the last car!"

Clyde looked up to see that one of the waiters had addressed him. The big boss? Who was that? Clyde certainly hoped he was friendly. He nodded to them and turned around, going back to the other boxcar and heading out the back of that one. He could remember everything he came across as he went from car to car, even seeing some of the ghosts wandering around. Luckily he didn't run into any hostile monsters like last time. Finally, after going through several doors and several cars, he ended up at one that had no other doors in it, obviously the last. Suddenly, the lights went out, and the only illumination in the car was that of the moonlight outside. Then he heard a voice…

"Clyde, Clyde, Clyde… having a good life, friend? I hope so, because you've made me very angry… I feel so cheated."

Clyde almost shivered at the sound of the voice… it was very deep and low, but also soft and raspy. He figured this must be the big boss, but who was he?

"Who are you!"

"I am the one you cheated… you cheated me on that tower, and it angers me. Most would call someone like you lucky… but no one, no one is lucky that cheats Death."

Clyde immediately became stiff, petrified almost. Death? This was Death speaking to him? He had cheated Death? Well, obviously so… not many could've survived what he went through. Then he realized that this must've been who was following him in the previous dream… Death's shadow had been cast over him. His life was turning into a metaphor!

"Show yourself! Now!"

The voice only let out a short laugh. Only a few feet ahead of him, out of the light, Clyde saw two, white, eye-shaped flashes in the darkness.

"Do not worry Clyde… I am unable to touch you in your dreams. But you will come across great challenges soon, and I'm sure that I'll be waiting to get a hold of you at last. The only luck you could have is to cheat me again, which I promise will not happen. Good bye for now Clyde, I'm sure I'll get to see you soon!"

Clyde only heard Death's faint laughter echo in the boxcar as everything slowly faded away, and he continued to sleep peacefully, his dreams becoming blank now.

Clyde once again woke up with the bright light of the morning sun shining in his face. Quickly, he got out of bed and went over to the pile of his new equipment. Today was the day that he decided to start a new venture. He found his new armor and strapped it on. Next he grabbed his new blade and latched it to the belt that came with his armor; then he pulled up his shield. After several minutes of preparation he was finally ready, and just when he stepped out into the main room of Rosa's house, she approached him with another bag of food and a canister of water. She obviously already knew he was planning on leaving.

"You be careful now, y'hear? My suggestion is to make your way to Nikeah and buy ship passage to South Figaro, fine place for questing I'd think. You'll definitely make a name for yourself soon enough!"

Clyde smiled.

"Thank you Rosa for everything you've done. You've been an absolutely amazing help. I promise to come back soon and see you if I can."

"You better, young man! Now off with ya!"

Clyde gave her a quick hug and ran out the door, jogging out of the town and into the outside, several people waving goodbye to him as he left. Apparently they knew his intentions to leave as well. He had now begun the glorious journey that would change the world, and it all started with his first step to the East, one step closer to Nikeah, and his first job as well. Unbeknownst to him, this journey would often bring him to the fine line of life and death, and death was perfectly willing to take him.

"Death may taunt me however it likes… I will not succumb to it!"

_Author's Notes: Just to let you guys know, Clyde will not be fighting death in a real-world manifestation and only as a metaphor. The true villain will be revealed with some time._


	5. In the Wild

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter V – In the Wild**

Outside, nary a sound was to be heard, with the exception of Clyde's feet on the soft dirt as he made his way to his destination. Clyde found this silence uncomfortably strange. It was strange enough not having any animals in sight.

Sure a normal person might find this perfectly fine, and that the journey would be easy… but Clyde knew better. It's always after the strange silences that something intense happens. Clyde also began to feel a little weighted down with all of the random things strapped on to his back. As long as another large creature didn't find means to attack him, he wouldn't have much trouble.

After what seemed like ages of walking, Clyde finally came upon the isthmus that led to the Serpent Road. Not even halfway, he still felt proud that he knew where he was going still. Several days aboard the airship had made him almost forget the layout of the land.

Clyde carefully made his way across the thin strip of land, finding comfort with the sound of the ocean waves splashing at the bottoms of the cliffs he was upon now. This added ambience made him worry a little less, but Serpent Road was no place to be in for long. So he hurried across the isthmus and quickly turned left, now heading northwest along the land of Serpent Road, ready for what dangers might lie ahead.

The faint sounds of the waves seemed to be making him a little less uptight about the wild, but he still did not move his hand from his blade or shield… he wanted to be ready for whatever came at him. He wasn't exactly afraid of the wild, only very vigilant about it. Too many bad experiences led him to be extra wary when traveling in the wild, especially when alone too.

Serpent Road had a very diverse layout. First Clyde was traveling across dirt plains, and then he came across a section of grassy field, and just ahead he could see desert sands in the distance. Only many minutes of easy travel along the lengthy trail led him to think that something out of place was going on. Still, he made his way across the grass, then the small section of sand, then some more dirt with patches of grass all over, and in the time of about 10 minutes he finally came across the range of mountains that surrounded the presently dismantled Fanatics' Tower. He cautiously made his way around the mountains, worried about any beasts that might live upon them coming down or already being down, ready to attack him.

After safely moving past the mountains, he came across the open plain once again. Over by the edge of the cliff he noticed a few Chocobo, but he paid no attention to them, continuing on. But it was only now that Clyde began to get weary from the trekking. The sun made him hot and sweaty as it heated his armor like a stove. He was rather glad that no animals were around to attack… he might've not been able to fight them in this horrible heat. Walking this far was already hard enough, and for once he actually wished Setzer was around with the Falcon, just so he wouldn't bear any more exhaustion. Finally, he came across the sight that made him feel so much better… a large span of sand dunes with Nikeah right at the end.

Clyde smiled to himself and shrugged. Maybe it was supposed to be this easy, he guessed. No matter, he began to make swift steps across the sands, finally glad that after a long time of walking, he had actually made it to his place. It would take a while to get across the desert, but he doubted any trouble would come, now that he was almost there. So, Clyde made his steps a little quicker, with a slight skip every now and then, trying to reach sanction at last. He grinned, but was cut short of that when the ground beneath him rumbled violently, and he was suddenly thrown back a few feet.

"What the hell?"

Out of the sand, a large, black skeleton of some creature came rupturing upwards. He had seen these before… black dragon skeletons; undead beasts. He could've laughed at this. The dragon looked at him awkwardly and cocked its head from side to side. It made very strange movements with its head, nodding, looking up, gesturing right, pointing forward, finally it stopped and just went back into the ground. Clyde was extremely puzzled at the strange behavior.

"Odd creature…"

Clyde laughed and soon began walking forward. At least, he tried to, but before his foot touched the ground again, he was tumbling forward from a hard push to his back, head over heels until he landed face first in the sand. He lifted his head and spat out the sand that had gotten into his mouth, pushing himself up with his hands. He got to his knees and turned around, only to see a large green hand impact with his face and send him flying back many yards before he landed on a large sand dune.

Scrambling up, he readied his blade and shield. His entire set of supplies had scattered all over, all of the potions and medicines flying free from his bag and becoming lost in the sand. He turned to take a good look at his attacker, guessing that this wouldn't be anything like a Behemoth or that other large beast… this would be far more difficult.

It was even taller than a Behemoth, but it was humanoid, and bright green in color. It had a squat, round face hunched far over its shoulders with two curved horns on either side, and two tusks protruding from its bottom lip. Along its neck (where a normal humans head might be) was a row of short spikes. The upper part of its arms was very muscular, bulging with power, and below the elbow the arms were skinny with four sharp claws. Its upper torso looked tough, the pectorals covered in scars, and the stomach was round and large. Its legs were much like the arms, very muscular in the thighs, with skinny shins and four bird-like claws on each foot. It also had behind it, a scaly, short tail with the row of small spikes stretching down its back to the tip of the tail.

Clyde noticed that it had vicious-looking scars all over its body. He figured this thing had fought many times before and obviously won. He only hoped that this wouldn't be another victory for it. Suddenly it laughed a deep, bellowing laugh… it could obviously speak! Clyde blurted out:

"Who the hell are you!"

"I Phunbaba! Master of Serpent Road!"

"Phunbaba? I've heard that name before…"

"Phunbaba powerful demon! All fear! King of aspiring fighters! Hahahaha!"

"Wait a minute… you're the one that Terra and Celes fought in Mobliz!"

"What! How you know about that!"

"I'm an old friend of theirs…"

"They do Phunbaba in good… and you associate with them… and you trespass on land during Phunbaba's inspection, so… you die now! Thunra!"

Phunbaba raised his hand to the air, the clouds got dark and moved directly over Clyde. He leapt out of the way just as a massive lightning bolt blasted out of the sky and to the ground, leaving a small crater in the sand. Suddenly, Clyde was being lifted by something. He looked down to see the black dragon skeleton raising him with its tail. Quickly he slashed through the frail bone with his cutlass, falling right on the skull of the dragon; it shook around and tossed him off. Phunbaba roared and charged towards Clyde as he scrambled up the large dunes of sand.

"Ha ha ha! Tiny human can hardly move in sand!"

Phunbaba hurled himself into the large dune that Clyde was crawling along, causing a large explosion of sand. Clyde went flying and landed right next to the awaiting black dragon, rolling to the side just as the mouth came closing down on the sand that he was previously on.

"Thunra!"

Clyde hurriedly got to his feet and did a somersault forward just as the second bolt of lightning came slamming down into the sand. But along with the cracking of thunder, he also heard the cracking of bones; he turned around to see the skeleton completely fall apart, then he noticed the shattered head right in the spot where the spell had struck.

"You sly human!"

Phunbaba ran at Clyde with full speed, his feet pounding into the sand, causing it to create a cloud of it around his feet. Clyde quickly ran to the top of the tallest dune near him, and this time he was prepared for the big monster. Phunbaba came closer. Clyde threw his shield to the side, as it would be no use against this thing's size. Phunbaba snarled it anger. Clyde held the cutlass with both hands. Phunbaba dipped his head down; his horns now ready to strike. Clyde quickly jumped from the top all the way to Phunbaba's feet, and as he came down, he held the blade outstretched, slicing along the legs.

"Aaaaah!"

Phunbaba fell forward as he yelled in pain. The sand gave away as the weight of Phunbaba pressed down on it, making him fall forward even more. Clyde took his chance and ran forward, leaping high into the air and raising the cutlass, bringing it down upon Phunbaba's fallen body. Phunbaba shook violently as the cutlass pierced through his back, standing up immediately, causing Clyde to fall down by his feet as he grabbed for his weapon.

"You make big mistake hurting Phunbaba!"

Phunbaba's feet collided with Clyde as he tried to move away, sending him into a large pile of sand, his cutlass landing several yards away from him. Being hit by the feet had hurt, but landing on his back hurt even worse…

"Now you die! Thunra!"

Clyde shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the impact, he knew how badly magic could damage people, and he waited for it to strike… and he waited… but he didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes and got to his feet, looking around.

Phunbaba was paying attention to something else… then he saw it. He could make out a person wielding a sword. Then that person spoke.

"You again! Phunbaba destroy now!"

"Don't count on it fatty! I'm not as weak as I was when I felled you in Mobliz!"

Clyde quickly ran over to his blade, picking it up hastily while he still watched Phunbaba and the other person try to taunt one another. He ran over to the fallen dune where he struck Phunbaba and found his shield, picking it up as well. He was closer to them and he suddenly noticed the person confronting Phunbaba. It was Celes Chere!

Celes was a gifted swordswoman and magic user, and also a former general in Emperor Gestahl's MagiTek army. Clyde was never romantically active, but he had always found Celes to be remarkably beautiful, but he hardly ever thought about that even.

He slowly approached Phunbaba from behind; Phunbaba was busy stalking after Celes as she waved her sword at him threateningly, her blonde hair billowing in the breeze. Clyde finally broke out into a full run and hacked his blade against Phunbaba's right leg, slicing through and leaving a deep gash that bled vividly. Phunbaba roared and whirled around, striking the ground next to Clyde with his fist, causing a strong tremor that knocked Clyde off his feet. Celes acted quickly and blasted Phunbaba in the back with a Fira spell. Phunbaba then turned his attention back to Celes, bellowing deeply.

Clyde threw his shield down once more and held the cutlass with both hands, running towards Phunbaba again. This time he forced the blade straight into the monster's leg. Clyde immediately held on tight as Phunbaba began stomping wildly with that leg, roaring in pain. It then snarled and gave a strong kick forward, causing Clyde and the blade to go flying in Celes' direction.

Clyde landed roughly in the pile of small dunes right next to Celes, quickly pushing himself back up. Phunbaba stomped his uninjured leg twice before snorting like a bull and charging like one with his horns ready to kill whatever they could hit. As a diversionary tactic, he set off a Thunra spell right behind them before he even stomped his feet, taking their attention off him as he charged with pure anger.

Clyde realized Phunbaba's intentions quickly, turning around to see the massive hulk only feet away from the two of them. He instinctively dove forward and pushed Celes down as the horns went straight past him and the massive feet stepped over the two of them. He looked down to see Celes lift her head and smile at him. He stood quicky, however, not wanting to be that close to her… it just made him feel strange. She seemed to understand because she stood up too and turned to face Phunbaba, who was obviously burning with rage.

"Last time I fought this guy it was easy… now that I've forgotten most of my good spells after the chaos I've been through. This isn't going to be a walk in the park. But, you seem to be a good fighter yourself, got any ideas?"

"I might…"

"Well, I'm up for any suggestions, because he looks like he's about to attack again!"

Clyde hastily explained his plan to her as Phunbaba stomped his feet again, lowering his head. She nodded and stood at the ready while Clyde jogged off to the side, hoping that this would work as he planned. Clyde waited until Phunbaba finally made his mad charge towards Celes, he quickly nodded to her, and she nodded back.

"Phunbaba kill!"

The dunes shook apart as Phunbaba thundered through, coming closer upon Celes, who waited for the right moment. Clyde watched intently, hoping that she could do it then be quick enough to get out of the way. Phunbaba let out an earth-shaking roar that took Celes slightly by surprise but didn't throw her off course. Quickly she cast a Fira spell on Phunbaba, which blinded him and caused him to stumble forward, falling into the sand just as Celes took a long jump to the side. Clyde dove down the dune and moved to Celes' position, waiting for Phunbaba to stand.

"Any second now…"

Phunbaba grumbled and heaved himself up with his arms as support. His eyes were blazing with fury as he turned around, his teeth barred, showing even more anger. Clyde raised the cutlass high, waving it a little before heaving his arm back, letting Phunbaba come into full frontal view. Finally, he flung his arm forward, letting go of the blade. He watched as it spun through the air the entire distance, Phunbaba looking at it, perplexed. Suddenly there was the sickening sound of flesh being torn, and a large spurt of blood shot from Phunbaba's head, the cutlass sticking out right between his eyes.

"Direct hit…"

Phunbaba let out a small croak before falling to his knees, then falling back completely, dead as a door nail.

Clyde and Celes ran to his still body, making sure that he was dead. No signs of breathing or anything could be noted, and the cutlass was embedded deep into the beast's skull; he had surely fallen for good now. Clyde firmly grabbed the cutlass and heaved with all his strength to pull it out. It was a while before he finally had released it; the blade was almost completely red. Clyde flicked some of the wet blood off, a few small stains still there. Celes finally approached him.

"Finally, that fiend is dead. Wow, I haven't seen throwing skills like that in a while… you're about as good as Shadow the assassin!"

"I guess that's what practice gives you eh?"

Celes giggled softly.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Oh, here's your shield by the way."

She handed him his sand-covered shield, which he subsequently shook off.

"Thank you, I don't think I would've ever gotten out of this if you hadn't been here miss."

"Oh, call me Celes."

"Good to meet you Celes, I am Clyde."

"Likewise Clyde. So, shall we escort each other to Nikeah? I assume that is where you're going. I've got to go to South Figaro from there, then to Figaro Castle."

"I'm headed for South Figaro as well, maybe we can keep each other company."

"That'd be nice. I'm meeting a friend of mine in South Figaro by the new train system; he's quite the fighter too. You two would get along well."

Clyde nodded.

"Well, shall we go on then?"

Celes smiled back as the two continued across the sands toward the port town of Nikeah, not far off now. Clyde was beginning to bet that he'd be with his old companions once more. He even forgot about all the supplies he'd lost, including his food and water.

_Author's Notes: Wow, how terrible of an author am I? Clyde was given a shit load of supplies in the previous chapter, and I've written up to Chapter 10 without him having a thing on him other than his sword! So this chapter has been edited to show that Clyde lost just about everything he had during the fight with Phunbaba in the desert. Alright? Alright._


	6. The Other Thief

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter VI – The Other Thief**

Once inside Nikeah, Celes led the way through the very tiny village. The two of them weaved their way through the street market, dodging around the multitude of citizens. It was unusually busy, especially given that it was practically empty the last time Clyde came here. But he assumed that this could be because of Kefka's downfall. The world changed rather drastically in only a few days.

"So what's in South Figaro for you, Clyde?" asked Celes.

"Oh, nothing specific really. I'm just looking for some adventure," he replied.

"Mmm, I see. I just got finished with a big adventure."

"Ah yes, I've heard your name before. You were honored at New Vector along with those other fine heroes, yes?"

"Yeah, but I'm really not into the whole fame thing. It just doesn't suit me."

Clyde was just passing himself off as an innocent, bystander warrior. In truth, he obviously knew everything about Celes from the point when he we rescued by his friends from the Cave on the Veldt, and later retrieved at the Dragon's Neck Colosseum. She was a very powerfully willed woman, and was very nice. He knew that she and Locke harbored feelings for each other, but neither really let it out. Maybe things were different now.

The two of them reached a rather lengthy line for the ferry to South Figaro. At first he assumed that the train was in Nikeah, but then he realized it would've taken entirely too long to set up a bridge across the water. But then again… how did they do it in Figaro?

"Looks like it'll be a long wait," Celes said disappointedly.

"That's alright. I have patience."

"So what exactly are you? Just a warrior looking for some fun? Or maybe a mercenary?"

"I'm just… a man who feels that youth should be spent having as much to do as possible. Age comes with its limits," said Clyde.

"Interesting. It's good that you know who you are though. I don't know what to do anymore. My friends have all moved on to their previous lives or better work. I could never do that," she said solemnly.

"Why is that?"

"Well, I used to be a tool of the enemy… of the Empire. I finally broke free and they imprisoned me for it. But he came to my rescue… he set me free and vowed to protect me. I feel like Locke is my one true friend in this world."

"Ah yes, he sounds like a good man."

"But he won't leave his past behind! He wants to be the world's greatest treasure hunter! I tell him it's eventually going to land him in big trouble, but he never listens."

Clyde wasn't accustomed to this sort of situation. Never had anyone really become personal with him. But he supposed that was the price for killing off one's emotions. The only other time anyone had tried to be this way with him was when the Empire had hired him before Kefka went insane. On the ferry to Thamasa Island, he had overheard Terra's worries about herself and the Empire. Unfortunately he didn't find himself of much help, although he reminded her of his emotionless existence and that she could only find the answers she needed inside her.

"But it's no bother. Locke will be Locke. I think you should really come with me to meet him," said Celes, breaking Clyde out of his daydreaming.

"Oh, I think we're moving along now," said Clyde quickly, changing Celes' attention to the line as it steady progressed on.

Nearly ten minutes later, everyone was finally aboard the free ferry trip. Clyde and Celes found themselves a seat at the bow of the boat, sitting in absolute silence the entire trip. Clyde had no idea how Celes felt, but just being in her presence was awkward. He had felt the exact same way with Sabin previously. He so desired to know about the others though, and she was right there! But he would not dream of revealing his true identity.

"So, I assume you are meeting this Locke in South Figaro?" asked Clyde.

"Yes."

"For what purpose, may I ask?"

"Oh, just to have some lunch with another old friend… the King of Figaro. I was only down here in this area to make sure Sabin Figaro, the king's brother, got to work safely. Edgar insisted on me keeping an eye on him. You know… you could come along if you'd like. I'm sure Edgar would have plenty of errands for you that involve some roughing up."

"That sounds nice. I would love to."

She smiled and nodded, turning her head forward to stare out at the sea. Clyde could think of nothing else to say, and he really felt uncomfortable talking to one of his old comrades. He didn't even want to imagine what it would be like meeting Edgar and Locke again. What if she had recognized his voice? What if they would recognize his voice? Why didn't he say no?

The mid-morning steadily turned to afternoon, and they reached South Figaro safely within a good while. It took some time to get everyone off, but they eventually made it into the city, which had grown rather drastically since Clyde last saw it. Several new buildings were under construction, and through the surrounding trees he could see the railway for the train.

"The train leaves in about five minutes. Come on!" said Celes, leading the way across the town, swiftly dodging around random pedestrians with Clyde nearly struggling to keep up.

They finally made it to the station just in time as the final call was coming out. Celes paid for both of their fares, something Clyde was nearly about to refute before she glared at him. As they entered one of the passenger cars, Clyde took a good long look at the vehicle. It was very long and fine looking. ("You keep those weapons to yourself, lad," said a rough-looking sentry) He couldn't believe that this was all done recently. As the two of them sat in their seats, an epiphany struck Clyde's brain like lightning.

This would be the perfect chance to retain his old career. He could actually get a name for himself in infamy! So long did he spend being a warrior, he wanted to go back to the simpler stuff. His old friend Baram would've wanted him to do it, even after the disappointment of Clyde not delivering his euthanasia. This train was the perfect target, especially with Figaro's wealth.

"Um, excuse me Celes, I'm going to go check out the other cars," he said nervously.

"O-ok?" she replied, somewhat confused, but smiling nonetheless.

He got up from his seat and held his shield and sword close. This world was so liberal, and the crime rate was surprisingly low for such. Clyde gradually edged past the other passengers, opening the back door and walking across the platform to the next car. It was another passenger box, so he made his way carefully through that one as well. All the way down the line he came across three cars before reaching what looked like a storage room for luggage. A vast multitude of heavy bags were set all about, along with wooden crates at the back of the room.

"Hmm… usually these trains have shinier things than this. But I suppose for my first time this will do!" he said to himself.

He was just about to grab a bag by his foot, when he noticed that this wasn't the caboose, and that one car was still at the end. Quirking his eyebrow, Clyde sped across to the door, opening it quickly and stopping before the last car. He reached for the handle and pushed. It didn't budge. He pulled. It still didn't budge.

"Locked…"

Looking around intently, he scanned the side for windows. To his great fortune, the windows were just the right size for him to crawl through. He carefully edged out to the side, the trees whistling past as the train sped along. Clyde looked behind him at the other cars, smirking at his luck. Suddenly, he noticed voices from the inside of the car.

"Alright, you think this stuff is secure now?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Train robbers hardly exist anymore anyway!"

"Come on man, let's get back to the other cars."

Flattening himself against the side, Clyde held his breath as the door opened. Out of the caboose stepped four guards, each armed with spears and red armor. The last one shut the door and locked it before they all moved forward through the next car. Clyde let out a deep sigh as he turned his attention back to his task. He slid along the side and began to fidget with the window. Unfortunately for him, it was locked as well, and wouldn't slide.

"Dammit!"

He continued on to the next window, only to find it locked as well. However, when he reached the third, the glass pane slid open to his great surprise. Clyde excitedly poked his head inside, his eyes suddenly aglow with delight. A heavy green safe was set against the wall, and all around were great sacks of glittering treasures, along with brown chests strewn about.

"Jackpot!"

He tossed his sword and shield inside. Then the former ninja flexibly crawled in through the opening. Suddenly he stumbled and hit the floor with a loud thud, his body becoming completely frozen. How he hoped that no one heard that.

After waiting a while, he got up slowly and began wiggling his fingers, not knowing what to take next. To his dismay, this would force him to leave Celes behind, but this was all for business. He looked around and found an empty burlap sack, snatching it up from the floor and immediately grabbing the nearest chests and stuffing them inside. He then looked through the treasure-filled sacks and took what appeared most valuable, such as any jewelry, anything gold, and definitely any weapons. Among the things he located were fine necklaces, a golden decorative dagger, and even a jewel-encrusted crown.

"This is just too perfect."

Clyde couldn't help but laugh to himself. Then, all of a sudden, the door at the very back flew open. The thief immediately grabbed his sword and shield from the floor, turning to face this intrusion.

Standing in the doorway was a young man with somewhat long blonde hair, and a blue bandana around his head. He was donned in a blue jacket with a white vest beneath and blue trousers, holding a long metal object that appeared to be a lock pick, and a dagger in his other hand. It was Locke Cole.

"What the!" said Locke.

"Who are you!" Clyde said in fake shock, knowing full well that Locke had every intention to plunder the train for its treasures as well.

"I am world-renowned treasure hunter Locke Cole, thank you very much! Now who are you!"

"I've always viewed the Locke Cole I heard about as a thief. I am Clyde!"

"I'M NOT A THIEF DAMMIT! Clyde? Just Clyde?"

"Yes, just Clyde."

"Well Clyde, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Robbing this train."

"Oh really? Hah! That's my job buddy! You've got to get a name for yourself before you start taking other people's things!"

"Hah, I sense some frustration that I got something before you?"

"I don't think so, pal."

Locke edged his dagger arm forward. Clyde held up his shield and pointed his sword at Locke.

"Your dagger against my sword and shield will not be a fair match."

"Right! I've got speed!"

The other thief lunged forward, swiping straight for Clyde's face. Clyde jumped backwards and held his shield high, jabbing his sword at his opponent from beneath it. Locke quickly dodged and took a shot at Clyde's legs. Clyde sidestepped the attack and slashed downward at Locke. Locke rolled forward and attempted to grab Clyde's bag, but he quickly let go when Clyde's sword nearly sliced off his hand. Locke was about to jump at this rival thief again when the front door of the car came flying open.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

The four guards that had previously been here came bustling in, their weapons at the ready.

"I'd say we got ourselves a pair of thieves, chief!"

"Train robbers eh! Nobody steals on my watch!" yelled the middle guard.

Immediately Locke and Clyde faced the men, no longer against each other. The guards swung their spears wildly, hammering on Clyde's shield. Locke grabbed a nearby chest and hurled it at one of the guard's heads, knocking the man off balance and causing him to fall against the corner. One of the spears nearly impaled Locke, but the attacker received a swift kick to the face, sending him flying back into the wall. Clyde then began to battle the other two with his sword clashing against their spears. Locke then came from the side and tackled one of them, leaving Clyde to duel across the interior of the car. Clyde reached his foot around a nearby chest and kicked it forward, the object slamming into the guard's shin, clanging against his armor. The man winced in pain but continued to battle him. In the background, Locke could be seen fighting off a guard who had just recovered, utilizing his agility to fight instead of sheer power.

"You know what we do to thieves when we catch 'em? We cut off their hands to keep 'em from doin' it again!" taunted the guard facing Clyde.

Clyde sneered and moved his arms to the side, swinging his foot forward in a powerful kick to the guard's chest. The force of the blow sent him tumbling backwards into the other fallen guards. He then reached over for his plunder and heaved it over his shoulder, holding on to it with his shield hand.

"Locke, it was lovely meeting a fellow thief, and I know your reputation serves you well… but it looks like you've been bested this time! Farewell!" he called before leaping out the open back door, leaving the other thief to fend for himself.

Clyde nearly landed on his feet, but the train tracks were set on a great hill in the forest. The slope caused him to fall face forward into the trees, his bag rolling a few feet away along with his sword. He looked at his battered shield for a moment and frowned.

"This thing is such a drag," said he, before tossing it over the hill and out of sight.

Groaning in pain, he staggered to his feet, walking weakly over to his bag and sword. He took a good look inside the sack and marveled at his achievement. He actually got away with it too! Ignoring the pain from his recent fall down the hill, he grabbed his sword, heaved the bag back over his shoulder, and marched back up the hill.

Taking a good look around, he could see various creatures about, but none of them appeared hostile, so he kept his distance all the same. This particular forest wasn't known to him, but if he followed the tracks he would eventually return to the town.

After a long while of trudging along, the weight of his loot was beginning to tire him, and he was still in the forest. It was at times like these that he could definitely use a chocobo to ride on. Then, a rustling of bushed turned his attention to the forest. He could see a huge mass of foliage shake only slightly. Carefully and silently, he crept towards this unknown phenomenon.

"Who's there!" he shouted.

A panicked scream came from the bushes and out came a round figure. It was a squat, very fat man draped in a red cape, with huge eyes and a rather flat nose. He felt that he recognized him from somewhere else.

"Ah! Who are you!" the man asked, frightened.

"I would prefer to know your identity first," said Clyde.

"S-s-some call me Sir Owz-z-zer!"

Owzer… a rich man who lived in Jidoor in a great mansion. Shadow could never forget the Hell he and his companions went through to find the famed art collector, who had hired the young girl, Relm, to paint him a picture of an esper. Then they were forced to fight a demon who inhabited the painting. Clyde only hoped Owzer wouldn't prove to be another pain in the ass.

"Owzer… the famous art collector. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm on the r-run! The authorities are accusing me… well, one of my paintings of murder!" said the man, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Murder?"

"Y-yes! I came to visit an old friend and was going to give him a fabulous painting! I delivered it to him just fine yesterday, but when I woke up this morning in the inn at South Figaro… the authorities came and said I was being charged with murder! My friend had been killed, and I was his only visitor that specific day!"

"Did another demon take over your painting?"

"What? Another demon? How did you know about the first one?"

"Oh, I uh… heard stories in Jidoor."

"I see…"

"So you're on the run from the authorities?"

"Yes! They've tracked me to this forest though! I'm sure of it!"

"Now calm down, Owzer. I'm somewhat of a fugitive myself, and maybe I can help you find out your friend's mystery killer?"

"Oh, but could we do it? I hate the feeling of my friend being dead, but how could we achieve it?"

"Don't you worry. Just come back with me, and I'll keep you hidden as best I can, alright?"

Owzer cocked his head from side to side before turning back to Clyde.

"Alright, sir. I suppose you seem trustworthy. What is your name, lad?"

"Clyde."

"Clyde, eh? Well Clyde… let's get the hell on the move and make sure we aren't seen!"


	7. The Odd Painting

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter VII – The Odd Painting**

Owzer and Clyde made their way along the side of the track, which finally came out onto level land. Clyde was still feeling tired, but figured that he could last just a bit longer. Owzer was walking close, his hands fidgeting, and his eyes shooting every which way, paranoid beyond belief.

"So Owzer… what was this painting of, and who painted it?" asked Clyde.

"It's an esper piece like the last one. Some rather eccentric fellow came by my house only a day before Kefka's downfall. Back then I had sent out for the best artists around, and I finally came across an amazingly talented girl, who painted the picture that ended up being possessed. Anywho, this man offered to paint me pictures of all the espers if I wanted. I asked him what his price was, and he said that my instructions would be given to me in time."

"What is up with you needing pictures of the espers?"

"What can I say? I like art and history! So putting the two together isn't so bad! As long as they remain uncorrupted of course…"

Clyde nodded and turned his attention back to the road ahead as Owzer coughed.

"Uh-oh."

Owzer's eyes shot forward. Coming up at the far off edge of the forest were the outlines of three chocobos with armed guards upon them. Thinking quickly, Clyde turned to the man before he began to panic.

"Owzer, don't you make another damn sound! Get up against that tree and curl up into a ball and cover yourself completely with that cape!"

"W-what? Why?"

"JUST DO IT!"

Owzer jumped and scurried over to the nearby tree, dropping onto the ground and bundling up beneath his red cape. Clyde quickly set his treasure bag down by Owzer. At first glance, Owzer looked like nothing more than a red bag, just what Clyde hoped to achieve.

"Now you keep perfectly still until I tell you to get up, alright?"

Owzer's head nodded beneath the cape.

"Hey! You there!" called one of the guards from afar.

Clyde turned his attention back to them as they came up on their running chocobos, stopping right on the tracks as they reached him. They were dressed the same as the guards on the train, except for the middle one who wore blue armor instead of red.

"Yes sirs?"

"We're looking for a fugitive out here!"

"Oh my, a fugitive? I assure you I've seen no one out here," Clyde replied as innocently as possible.

"Positive? He's impossible to miss, and he kind of looks like a frog!"

"I've seen some frogs, but I'm sure they were all just frogs, sirs."

One of the guards glanced over at Clyde's "bags". Clyde knew he was immediately suspicious.

"What's all of that?" asked the guard.

"My belongings, sir."

"Belongings, eh? You need two bags as big as those?"

"Yes sir, I do."

"Mind if we check 'em out?"

There was going to be trouble.

"I'd prefer it not, sirs."

"And why's that?" asked another guard as all three of them jumped off their chocobos and readied their spears.

"I just don't like it when others look through my personal things."

"Well bud, that's too bad now isn't it?" said the middle guard with a sneer.

One of them reached out with his spear and poked at the treasure sack, hearing the trinkets move inside. Luckily, that was enough clarification for them. Then, another guard poked at the red one. He got a curious look on his face after doing so, but Owzer kept absolutely still. Suddenly, the man heaved his arm back and thrust the spear forward. Clyde swiftly brought his sword down upon the weapon, deflecting it.

"Owzer! Get up and hide!" he yelled.

The three guards were perplexed as Owzer shot up screaming, running around the tree and away into the forest. They were about to pursue when Clyde landed a fast kick to one's chest.

"You'll regret your actions, boy!"

Their spears came stabbing at him quickly. Clyde swung his weapon back and forth to deflect their blows, but with three weapons attacking simultaneously, he was surely outmatched. Continually being pushed back, Clyde felt hopeless in this battle, when he suddenly gathered an idea. He waited until they all attacked at once, then he ducked and jumped completely out of the way, giving no stop to their momentum, which caused them to fall right into each other.

"Ow!"

"That sneaky retch!"

"That's my foot!"

"That's my head!"

Clyde chucked and ran to the three chocobos, shooing one of them away while he hoisted himself upon another and grabbed hold of the remaining one.

"Owzer! Get over here!" he called.

From behind a boulder, Owzer peeked his head up. The fat man came out from behind and came scuttling up to him.

"Get on the chocobo!"

"My, you're a daring fellow!" Owzer exclaimed as he heaved himself onto the bird with great difficulty.

Clyde then rushed over to his treasure bag and threw it over his back before edging the chocobo forward. Just as the guards recollected themselves, Clyde and Owzer were riding out of the forest and into the distance.

"What the! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?"

"Well maybe if you'd synchronize your hits better!"

"You're one to talk!"

"Hey! Both of you screwed up, but you know what? That's ok. We all make mistakes!"

"Woah there!"

"Both of us?"

"I don't think so!"

"You weren't so great yourself, Sergeant!"

Meanwhile, Clyde and Owzer were in the sights of South Figaro.

"We did it! Clyde, you are one amazing fellow!"

"Just trying to help out those in need, Sir Owzer."

"Yes, well… you're a noble man, you are!"

Clyde couldn't help but smirk a little. He was modest, but satisfied with his assistance to a well-known rich person. He was definitely disappointed in his fitness lately, however. It seems that after Kefka's Tower, he just kind of stopped fighting well. He would have to start getting back in to shape.

"I would assume it to be wise that we enter through another way?" said Owzer.

"Yes, given that they're probably still looking for you just in case you decided to return."

When they finally reached the edge of the town, the two of them went around to the north side, which was where Owzer's friend's house would be. Clyde leapt off his chocobo and let it go free, Owzer following suit.

"It'll be just over this wall here," said Owzer, gesturing to a new stairway that Clyde had never seen before.

The two of them looked around carefully for nearby guards. Finding it clear, they swiftly made their way up the steps, keeping their eyes peeled. Clyde noticed a patrolling guard and dropped low. He waited until the guard went out of site before continuing across the high platform to another set of stairs that went down into the small town. Down below, people covered the streets, providing excellent cover for the two fugitives.

"There it is," said Owzer, pointing to a house just next to the stairs.

The two of them practically ran down the stairs and into the house, shutting the door quickly behind them and sighing heavily.

"Ah! We've made it Clyde! Good work!'

"Yes. Now let's see that painting!"

"Of course!"

Owzer led Clyde past a short hallway and into the living room, where the floor was covered in gray stone that seemed to have been shattered. The house itself was very cozy, with not much to be seen but some casual furniture. Clyde carefully set his bag on the floor.

"My… this is very odd indeed," said Owzer.

"I suppose it wasn't like this before?"

"No, definitely not. I don't even know how he was killed exactly. The guards just said I was being convicted of murdering him! Oh, but there's the painting right there."

Clyde turned to the wall to see the large portrait. On it was a black boar, set in a ferocious-looking stance, one eye facing them. He remembered this esper. It was Shoat. He remembered using this esper once before the World of Balance became the World of Ruin. It was very powerful and capable of turning enemies into stone with just simple eye contact. Unfortunately, it had only worked once for him, and on rather weak attackers.

"You don't think it's… p-possessed… do you?" asked Owzer, beginning to get nervous once again.

"I can't really be sure. Is there anyone else that might have done him in?"

Owzer thought for a moment.

"No one comes to mind."

Clyde stared at the painting, focusing on it intently. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, and it wasn't likely that any demons would jump out from him just staring at it. However, he had no other ideas.

"Does it look alright to you? Nothing weird about it?" asked Owzer, who came up behind him.

"It looks perfectly normal in my eyes."

A slight glimmer caught his eye, however.

"What the…"

Clyde focused on the exposed eye of the painting, looking closely. The surface of the eye seemed much different from the canvas, and almost looked like a jewel. Then it dawned on him, and he looked at the stone on the floor.

"Owzer! Shut your eyes!" he yelled.

The two men immediately closed their eyes as a brilliant flash shined from the painting's eye. After a few moments, Clyde opened his. Not wasting a second, he thrust his sword through Shoat's eye, rendering whatever it was, useless.

"What did you do that for?"

"I don't know if this painting is possessed or not… but something is wrong with it. Where are your other esper paintings, Owzer?"

"At my house in Jidoor, why?"

"Good. We need to get to your house."

"What? You aren't going to ruin them _all_, are you?"

"I just might have to. If all of your paintings are doing what they could potentially be doing… then there are no other options."

"Oh lordy…"

Owzer let out a hacking cough.

"Very well… we'll have to travel out to my rowboat on the coast," said he.

"Rowboat? You came here in a rowboat?" asked Clyde in disbelief.

"Why yes! I feel that at my age, one must enjoy as many adventures as possible!"

"But… a rowboat. That will take forever!"

"Oh nonsense! With the two of us working together, it will be quite alright!" he said optimistically.

"You're an odd man, Sir Owzer."

"I have an appreciation for life!"

Owzer went to the door and peered outside casually, eyeing for nearby guards. Meanwhile, Clyde pulled his sword from the Shoat painting and took the portrait off the wall, bringing it down upon his knee and breaking it right in half, to which the sound of Owzer cringing could be heard.

"I believe it is all clear out here," he said from the door.

Clyde nodded and grabbed his treasures and sword, quietly sneaking out the front with Owzer behind him. The streets were still full of people, most of them workers who were set to expand the small town. Clyde told Owzer to go first up the stairs, and stop if he saw a guard. Luckily, nothing impeded their progress and they safely made it out of the town the same way they had entered.

Once outside, Owzer led the way around South Figaro and to the southwest coast. It would be somewhat of a long journey, and Clyde was getting even more weary with his bundle of plunder over his back.

"A rowboat…"

"Yes! Can you not appreciate an old man's desire for adventure?"

"I find airships to be more convenient."

"Oh, you young people and your fancy airships. What ever happened to work ethic?"

"Sir Owzer, you work?"

This made Owzer go silent. Clyde grinned and continued along the dreary dirt plains towards the yellow coast. He suddenly thought of Celes. The train was almost certainly already at the castle. How did she feel knowing that he was gone? Locke would've most likely told her of their encounter in the caboose… if he escaped, that is. He had been so close to reuniting with his comrades. Was he turning back into the loner he made himself out to be? Nah… it was just business. Train robbers can never stay in the same spot; like Owzer, one on the run has to always be on the move. However, at current… he was getting way too tired to do so.

"So Clyde… what is with your large bag right there, eh?"

"Oh this? Well, as I said before, I'm somewhat of a fugitive myself. This would be the reason why."

"Oh, I see! Train robber, eh? Don't see many, if any at all, of those these days."

Clyde was about to agree when something in the air caught his eyes. It was a distant shape that he could hardly make out, but it was moving closer and at great speed. Within moments he could gather a familiar shape. It was a giant, ivory-colored vessel flying in the air.

"The Falcon…"

"What's that?" asked Owzer, not hearing Clyde.

Clyde watched as the giant airship came flying past with a great sonorous woosh. Suddenly, it stopped in the air only yards ahead, taking Clyde and Owzer by surprise. The Falcon slowly descended, it's warship-like bridge stopping only feet from the ground. From the side, the familiar face of leather-jacket-clad Setzer Gabbiani came peering over, his long white hair billowing in the sudden wind.

"Hey there! You fellas need a ride?" called Setzer.

Clyde's eyes grew wide. Owzer came up to him timidly.

"You're not going to say yes… are you?" he whispered.

"Of course I am! Come on!" said Clyde, running over to the Falcon with joy.

Setzer disappeared from the side and the ship set itself all the way down, a rope ladder coming over the edge. Clyde anxiously hoisted his bag up to Setzer, who set it down to the side while Clyde ascended the ladder. Owzer nervously followed, looking down every second as he climbed up. Clyde got the feeling that he was a bit afraid of heights.

"Where are you guys headed to?" asked Setzer, once both were on their feet.

"Jidoor."

"Alrighty then! Let's get going!" he said excitedly, rushing over to the helm and pulling a simple lever.

The airship shook before steadily rising into the air, Owzer being startled by the jolt. Clyde looked out at the world ahead, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in hours. After his adventure, being on the airship was very comforting again. However, being in the presence of yet _another _friend was slightly discomforting.

"So, what exactly do you guys do?" Setzer asked as he set the Falcon on its course to the west.

"I'm… uh… his bodyguard!" Clyde stuttered.

Owzer quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh I see… and who is _he_?" Setzer asked, pointing to Owzer, who was cowering in the center of the deck.

"This is the world-famous Owzer! Renowned collector of art!" Clyde said in a rather exaggerated tone.

"Oh yes! I believe my friends met you once, Sir Owzer!"

"Mmm… ind-deed. C-came to rescue young Relm, yes?" he said shakily.

"Yep!"

Clyde purposely diverted his attention elsewhere, unwilling to recollect anything about those days at the moment.

"I guess after that painting went crazy you needed someone to protect you?" Setzer asked Owzer, who was still shaking on the floor.

"Y-yes! Quite!"

Setzer passed the short time by attempting to converse with the two of them. Emotionally, neither of them felt like talking much, however. Within about two minutes, Clyde and Owzer were finally set down right next to the city of Jidoor. Setzer bade them goodbye as he flew off into the distance. Clyde heaved his bag over his back for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Ah! Home sweet home!" said Owzer, obviously still shaken from the airship ride.

"We'll have to find some other way to get your rowboat back," said Clyde as he went on into the town.

Owzer stalled for a moment and looked out to the coast.

"Damn," he said.


	8. The Third Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter VIII – The Third Dream**

Once inside Owzer's massive mansion, Clyde set down his sword and bag by the door, marveling at the amazing house. He had seen it only two times prior, and he continued to be amazed at the vastness of this place. It was spectacular and full of color.

"Well, what do you think?" Owzer asked, coughing.

"I think it's magnificent…" Clyde replied.

"Well, make yourself at home while I go fetch those paintings then!"

Clyde stepped further into the house while Owzer went all the way to the end of the main entryway and climbed up the stairs to the left, disappearing from sight. He admired the multitude of amazing art displayed all around. Some pictures were as simple as a bouquet of roses, while others were complex drawings of beautiful landscapes.

"AAAH!" came a loud scream from upstairs.

Clyde ran down the hall and shot up the stairs with great speed. On the second floor he passed the bookshelf at the top and ran down the following hall to find Owzer staring wide-eyed at his blank wall. This floor had many extended sections of wall that Clyde remembered seeing paintings on during his last visit… however, they were all gone now.

"MY ESPERS! THEY'RE ALL GONE!" Owzer shouted as Clyde came around.

"Gone? All of them?"

"YES! ALL GONE! I'VE BEEN ROBBED!" he cried, hacking and wheezing after doing so.

"Did you have them all on display up here?"

"YES!"

Clyde's eyes zoomed around the house.

"Are you sure they aren't elsewhere?"

"I swear it!"

Clyde turned around and ran back down the stairs, Owzer following at a quick pace, still coughing from his fit.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to ask around and see if anyone else saw anybody go into your house," said Clyde.

"Ah! Good idea!"

"Yes, stay here Owzer."

"Aye!"

Clyde grabbed his sword from atop his treasure bag and yanked the front door open, slamming it shut as he went outside. Jidoor was one of the more active towns, with plentiful people standing about outside. He first approached a man standing by one of the hundreds of trees surrounding Owzer's house.

"Excuse me sir, but have you noticed anyone entering Sir Owzer's house in the past day?" he asked.

"Mmm, cannot say that I have, fellow."

Clyde nodded and continued down the steps that led into the main area of the town. He questioned all the nearby citizens and none of them had seen anyone entering Owzer's house. Not a single person saw a thing. Clyde figured that the intruder had come in at night somehow, but this whole situation was just becoming too weird. After seeking out all sources, even in the auction house, to no avail, Clyde returned to Owzer's home.

"Did you find anything out?" Owzer asked, finally recovered from his fit.

"Nobody saw anyone enter your house. I'm guessing they came in at night to do their work."

"But who?" said Owzer.

"I'm as clueless as you are in this situation."

"Well, I suppose we'll get down to that later. I'm feeling rather hungry, you?"

"Mmm, yes sir," said Clyde, clutching his armor plate covered stomach as it growled on cue.

"Well let us go to the kitchen then, shall we?" said Owzer, walking down to the end of the hall and climbing the stairs.

Kitchen? Clyde had been throughout many passages hidden in the house, and he had yet to see any such thing as a kitchen. Curious, he followed Owzer up the stairs, and was surprised to see him stop at the bookshelf.

"Mmm, let's see here. Ah yes! My cookbook!"

Owzer reached a long fingered hand out to a big white book on the shelf, pulling it out half way. Suddenly, the wall right next to it swung open as if it were a door. Clyde was amazed.

"Does this house hold many secrets?" he asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe. I had this house specially designed to my fancy. The architect is an excellent friend of mine," Owzer said, winking, as he entered the new passageway.

Clyde followed him down a short hall into a very white room. The countertops were white, the cupboards were white, the walls were white, the floor was white… nearly everything in sight was white! And the bright light in the ceiling almost blinded Clyde with the amazing reflection off the white.

"My… this place certainly is… white."

"Mmm, yes. I consider this house as much a piece of art as any painting in it!" said Owzer, before heading over to what looked like an oven and stove.

Clyde continued to observe the whiteness while Owzer opened various cupboards, pulling out random food items. Luckily they weren't white, or this would have been far too weird… and white for Clyde.

Later on into the nighttime hours, Clyde and Owzer had gotten to know each other better after eating a good meal of pork chops with salad. Given Sir Owzer's wealth, it surprised Clyde that he didn't have maids or butlers bustling around, and he did everything himself. The two of them had conversed much during dinner, learning many things about the other's past. Clyde explained that he was a train robber before, but he took a bit of a "break" from that after the death of his partner, and once Kefka met his downfall, he took up the old career.

Owzer explained to Clyde about his adventures and how he came to access so many wonderful paintings. In his younger years, he would paint many of his own things, but became too dissatisfied with his own work later on. He first lived in Maranda, a very small town on the same continent as the Empire in the World of Balance. As he reached his thirties, he had heard wonderful stories about the city of Jidoor. So he eventually left for there and found it absolutely perfect, and the auction house was well known for selling amazing artwork at the time. Owzer had gained a large sum of money after his parents had died, for they willed him an amazing stash. Once he had his amazing, and puzzling house built, he set off around the world in search of rare paintings. Many times he met trouble, and even had been caught in sticky situations with hostile people. Fortunately, he had a way with words and could talk his way out of everything. And now here he was, an old art collector just doing what he felt like.

Once night reached its peak, Owzer offered Clyde his guest bed that was just up the stairs closest to the front door. Clyde gratefully accepted and wished the fellow goodnight when it became late enough. As he climbed into the bed after stripping away his armor and boots, Clyde smiled at another adventurous day achieved. It was astounding that he ran into three of his companions in just one day, and he wondered if there might be more to come. There was still the mysterious disappearance of Sir Owzer's paintings to ponder upon, but he left these thoughts alone as he drifted away to sleep and his dreams…

This time, Clyde was once again in the eerie forest, and he was on his knees before a shimmering lake. He stared at his reflection, not paying mind to his surroundings at all, despite the howling winds that could be heard all around. Then, a ways ahead of the lake Clyde looked up to see a strange figure. It was a silvery-white six-legged horse standing in the water. Its body was covered in golden stripes, and its mane and tail were the same color. It had no rider, and just stood there in the water, eyes upon Clyde. Suddenly, his world shook violently, throwing him face forward, and then everything turned black, and two white eyes appeared right before him.

"YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED, CLYDE! YOU WILL FALL TO MY POWER! YOU WILL BE DESTROYED! GO BACK HOME AND LEAVE MY BUSINESS ALONE! DO NOT MAKE ME KILL!" yelled a terrifying, booming voice.

Clyde shot straight up from his bed, eyes wide open as he suddenly rolled over the side and onto the floor with a loud grunt. He looked up and around to see that the house was lit up. Was it morning already? Wearily, Clyde reached up to the bed and heaved himself to his feet.

"Sir Owzer?" he called.

After receiving no reply, he made his way downstairs and to the front door, opening it wide to see the sun shining brightly in the sky above. It was morning. The town of Jidoor was hardly full of activity, but the other citizens appeared to be just waking up as well.

"Morning already?"

Clyde jumped at the voice behind him. He turned around to see only Owzer.

"A little jumpy there?"

"N-no… you just startled me."

Owzer laughed and coughed at the same time, stepping outside past Clyde, wearing completely white pajamas. Clyde was getting really tired of seeing white. Outside, Owzer took a deep sniff of the air, stretching his arms out and yawning. Clyde went back upstairs to his bed, locating his armor and suiting up quickly.

"I'm going to need to find some new clothes soon," he said to himself.

"Oh, Jidoor has plenty of clothing in its stores!"

Clyde jumped again at Owzer's sudden presence behind him.

"Ah, sorry Clyde… didn't mean to startle you again!"

Clyde turned around and flashed a quick smile.

"It's alright," he said, still feeling a little antsy from his dream.

"Well Clyde, you can do whatever you feel like. I'm going to go change quickly and see if any of my other materials are missing."

"Good idea," Clyde replied.

Owzer slowly descended the stairs and continued down the hall to the next stairs, stepping up those and disappearing behind the wall as he headed to his own room. Clyde looked at his sword and set it on his bed after pulling on his boots. He quickly marched down the stairs and stepped outside into the rather chilly morning air. He then went down the steps leading into the town, nodding courteously to the nearby people as a silent "good morning".

He looked around for the nearest shop, finding it just as he came down from the stairs. He went inside to see a fabulous display of rings and other accessories, but no visible clothes. He inquired to the cashier, who told him that the best place to look would be the armor shop at the south edge of town. Clyde took his advice and exited the store, proceeding down another set of stairs and past the inn and weapons shop to reach the armor store.

Inside was an elaborate show of more wardrobes than Clyde had seen in his entire life. On one side of the store was the women's department, which seemed to encompass three times more space than the men's. He noticed several employees running about, cleaning off every single flat surface and straightening out anything that could be straightened out. It appeared that they had just opened for the day. Only a very small handful of customers was in at the time, but Clyde didn't doubt that this place was packed on a daily basis, given Jidoor's size.

"Hello there sir! Can we help you?" asked a nearby worker, dressed in a rather dorky blue uniform.

"Ah, no thanks… just looking around," he replied simply.

Talking to people lately was a rather awkward business for him. As Shadow he would always avoid conversation whenever possible, which was usually all the time. Now that he was basically a normal man again… at least somewhat normal, he would definitely need to work out his social skills. Then he started to wonder… what did he need here?

A massive section of the store was devoted to formal wear, which certainly wouldn't do him any good, given the work that he had done only in the past day. And then he began to wonder what to do with his armor. It didn't seem like it would be any good to him anymore. When he left Rosa's house, he assumed that he would start life as an adventurer. Now he was going to be a train robber, which only had the minor difference of not looking out for things that he could be killed by. His armor wasn't even necessary!

Luckily, Clyde wasn't a very picky person. By the end of the day he had sold all of his armor and found a perfect outfit for his duties. It consisted of a dark purple sleeveless shirt, dark blue trousers with a few extra pockets (especially handy for carrying extra plunder) and a long black coat. He also purchased a belt with a detachable scabbard for his sword. He found that it worked well with his image, with the dark colors and all. He left the store satisfied, carrying his previous clothes out with him. Life in the town looked to have come up a little in the short while that he had been inside. The citizens seemed so much happier after Kefka was defeated. This world had no worries anymore, which was unbelievably rare. After a whole year of living in Kefka's shadow, wondering if their town would be incinerated by his Light of Judgment, these people had the chance to relax now.

Clyde made his way across the town back to Owzer's house. He entered to see Owzer sitting at the desk set on the wall in the entryway. He had changed into a strange blue outfit decorated with random yellow and white shapes like stars and crescent moons. He appeared to be very busy, three large books arrayed across the desktop. He looked up to acknowledge Clyde's entrance, then returned to his active reading. Clyde nodded and went along upstairs to his bed, grabbing his sword and carefully introducing it into the sheath. It fit perfectly! Clyde grinned, feeling finally complete.

"What are you looking at, Owzer?" Clyde asked as he came down the stairs.

Owzer looked up sharply.

"I'm researching various art collectors in this area…" he replied.

"Think any of them stole your paintings?"

"It's possible!"

Clyde nodded, knowing full well the behavior of people around here. Anyone could have come from Zozo to get some loot. How ironic it was that he was a train robber, and he was helping Owzer locate a thief. This reminded him to grab his treasure bag from the doorway and to take it upstairs. He set it on the side of his bed, looking inside just to make sure it was still full. Then, a knock came to Owzer's door.

From his desk, Owzer looked up curiously. He was used to visitors, but never in the morning.

"I'll get it!" called Clyde, who slid down the banister of the stairs, landing perfectly on his feet on the first floor.

He jogged to the door and opened it very slowly, revealing a tall man to be standing outside it.

The man had curly black hair, along with a small tuft of black hair on his chin. His eyes were a bright, eerie blue, squinting in the morning sunlight. His face was thin and friendly, a greeting smile upon his face. He was overall slim in stature, and wore a dark blue uniform with golden trim and buttons, standing up straight with his hands held behind him.

"Ah, hello there good sir. Is Sir Owzer in the house?" the man asked in a dignified voice.

"Mr. Geeda!" Owzer exclaimed, rising from his chair quickly.

The man weaved his way past Clyde into the house, walking over to Owzer. The two men quickly shook hands before the visitor took his hands back behind him.

"We have a problem, Thomas," said Owzer.

"Oh? What is it then?" asked the man, Thomas, in an oddly unsurprised tone.

"The paintings… they've been stolen!" Owzer exclaimed.

"Stolen! By whom?" asked the man, now obviously concerned.

"We don't know yet! But this good fellow here, Clyde, is helping me find out who."

Thomas turned around and finally acknowledged Clyde a little better.

"Ah, hello there Clyde. I am Thomas Geeda, but you may call me Tom," he said, extending his arm for a handshake.

Clyde cautiously reached his own hand out and gave the man a quick shake before returning his hand to his side. For some reason he didn't like this man. It was probably his dignified and formal manner that got on his nerves.

"And there's more…" said Owzer.

Tom turned around, quirking an eyebrow.

"More?"

"One of the paintings killed someone," said Clyde.

Geeda then turned to Clyde.

"Killed someone? Is that even possible?" he said in snobbish disbelief.

"My best friend was petrified into stone by your Shoat painting!" Owzer cried.

"Shoat? How peculiar… did you see this happen?"

"Well, no… but it happened!" Owzer stammered.

"It nearly got us too, but I saw the glimmer in its eye, and I heard a flash after we looked away," said Clyde.

"But a painting? A painting is but canvas and colors! You two must have been overworked, and I'm sure there's a more reasonable explanation for your friend's petrification," said Tom, with more upbeat skepticism.

"It happened! Anyway, Sir Owzer has had a possessed painting before!" Clyde growled.

"He's right! And the heroes who defeated Kefka can certainly vouch for that as well!"

Tom smiled and nodded.

"Very well… let's say this painting truly did kill your friend. Where is it now?"

"I destroyed it."

Clyde was smirking on the inside as Tom's eyes grew wide. The man fell silent for a moment, as if he were to say something but took it back.

"Well, now the problem is fixed you see? But about those paintings… when were they stolen?"

"I was gone for only one day!" said Owzer.

"Well then, I shall investigate the mysterious disappearance. I will return later, Sir Owzer. I bid you good day. And you as well, Mr. Clyde."

Tom Geeda bowed to the both of them and went to the door, which still remained open as Clyde had simply forgotten to close it. He stepped outside and quickly shut the door behind him. Clyde then turned to Owzer.

"Who was that snob?" he asked.

"He is the artist who painted my esper pictures! He's really a brilliant man."

"I thought you said he was eccentric?"

"Oh, he can be when he's working."

"Seems like a stiff to me."

Owzer laughed and coughed at the same time, returning to his desk to get back to work. Clyde stood still for a moment, staring at the floor. He suddenly snapped out of it when a loud shriek was heard from outside. He whirled around and immediately drew his sword from the sheath. He heard the increasing sounds of panic as he threw open the door, running outside. People were screaming and running about, turning Jidoor into absolute chaos. Clyde looked around in every direction and could not see what the big deal was.

"What's going on out there?" called Owzer, who had stumbled from his chair when the first scream was heard.

Clyde narrowed his eyes, looking out for anything like a monster, but all he could see were screaming citizens. Then, they all turned to face Owzer's house, pointing up at it. Clyde was only momentarily confused when a great shadow was cast over him. His eyes grew wide and he quickly jumped backwards into the house, just as a massive form came diving down from the sky, crashing into the ground, and shattering the stone-covered earth to pieces. He caught a quick glimpse of the entity before it shot off into the sky again. It was the form of a very large bird, with mostly purple feathers decorated with red, yellow, and green feathers all around, and its beak was incredibly long and pointy like a lance. This creature was all too familiar to him.

"Palidor?"


	9. Return to Zozo

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter IX – Return to Zozo**

Only seconds later, the great bird swooped down once more, cawing at the frightened people, obviously very hostile at the moment. Clyde ran outside once more, his eyes following the violent esper as it flew around with its vivid feathers gleaming in the sunlight, cawing continuously.

"Sir Clyde! Take cover!" called a voice.

Clyde turned to see Tom Geeda hiding in the trees near Owzer's house, looking very panicked.

"Don't worry about me," he said before running down the steps into the center of Jidoor as the people cleared out.

Palidor obviously saw him, because it stopped in mid-flight and dove right for him. He looked straight into its menacing eyes, staying put as it came closer and closer with great speed. Just as the golden beak nearly impaled him, Clyde jumped high into the air, swinging his sword directly downward. The blade struck the top of the bird's head, causing it to spasm and slap Clyde away with its giant wings. The creature screeched in pain as it shook its head around. It recovered after a few moments and turned to face Clyde, who had been thrown against the wall of a close-by building.

"Great…"

Clyde staggered to his feet after grabbing his dropped sword from the ground, his left shoulder now badly bruised from hitting the wall… maybe he should've kept his armor. Palidor slowly stalked towards him on its terrifying talons, its head swaying from side to side as it edged closer.

"Clyde! Run inside that shop!"

Clyde looked over to see Geeda standing at the top of the stairs to Owzer's house, pointing at the building he had been thrown into. He was about to take his advice when Palidor's head whipped around to see Tom at the stairs. The bird cawed and charged forward, its colorful wings outstretched. Geeda quickly dove back into the cover of the trees, and Clyde ran after the esper. Suddenly, an odd whistling noise came to his ears, and it began to echo all over the town. Palidor stopped and looked to the sky, bewildered at first. It hesitated for a moment before jumping into the air and flapping its wings wildly, creating a harsh wind that nearly knocked Clyde off his feet. The bird then shot over Owzer's house and disappeared from sight.

"Oh no you don't!" Clyde yelled.

He ran as fast as he could to the town entrance, circling around the borders of Jidoor swiftly. He stopped when Palidor was once more in his sights, flying off into the distance towards the mountains. Without even thinking, he ran in that very direction, kicking up dirt all around him as he sped across the deserted land. Clyde completely ignored the sun's heat, all of his intentions set on chasing after that esper. He had to know what was going on, and running through a considerably hot region with a coat didn't deter him at all. As he passed a large forest on his way, he was suddenly hit by something from the side, to which he stumbled face first into the dirt and hurriedly jumped to his feet.

Behind him was an odd green creature maybe only three feet high. If he remembered correctly, these beasts, Crawlers, were armed with poison feelers and odd black magic that could weaken the strongest of men. The small monster jumped forward with its tiny teeth gnashing. Clyde quickly struck it with his sword, knocking it back a ways. Taking advantage of the situation, he started running again, leaving the stunned animal behind.

He was finally beginning to feel fatigue upon him as he finally came up to the large mountain range, with a considerable distance to go still. He eventually abandoned his plan of running and just walked the rest of the way, hoping that he was heading in the correct direction. There would be no other reason for Palidor to come this way, because Clyde felt certain that it was fleeing to Mount Zozo, the mountain that the rebel city of Zozo was built up against. His last visit here wasn't without its own excitement. Apparently Cyan, the gifted swordsman of the heroic group (hailing from Doma), had taken refuge in the mountain after the world broke apart. Celes, Sabin, Edgar, and Setzer had all found him and got him back on the team. However, only a day or two before battling Kefka, Setzer remembered an interesting detail in the mountain that led to Locke, Clyde (as Shadow of course), Setzer, and Cyan venturing back into the mountain to find a switch in the ground, which is what the airship pilot had remembered. Upon pressing it, they were attacked by a black wyvern, which turned out to be one of eight of the legendary dragons, ending in a rather easy victory for them.

It took him a good half an hour to finally reach around the mountain chain, Zozo only half a mile away. Feeling re-energized, Clyde broke off into a run once more, racing across the darkening land. For some reason, these mountains were always covered by clouds, and it rained at all times in Zozo. He flinched as he felt the first drop hit is face, soon running into a whole barrage of raindrops as he neared the city.

He reached the dreary world of Zozo within minutes, the rains seeming harsher than normal today. Zozo was a very dangerous place filled with monsters and criminals from Jidoor, and Clyde never liked being here, even as a mercenary… something about it made him uncomfortable. The former assassin felt like he was already on a new adventure as he proceeded further along. Looking around, a suspicious group of three men could be seen huddling in the corner of the entrance, along with many others just pacing about the rainy city, all darting their heads around as if they were being followed. Clyde approached the group by the entrance.

"Excuse me! Have you seen a very large bird come this way recently?" he asked, having to raise his voice to be heard over the heavy rain.

"Haven't seen anything like that!" said one.

"Nothing!" said another.

"No birds around here!" said the third.

Clyde knew how this city worked… everyone here was a liar, with the exception of a merchant regularly wandering around the inn. He nodded to them and ran around the side of the pub, a massive multi-storied building right next to the entrance. Standing patiently by the door of the inn only yards away was the merchant himself. Clyde had never spoken to him before, but his comrades had and always got results from doing so.

"Excuse me sir!" he called as he walked over to the man.

"Yes? Need something?" he asked.

"Have you seen a large bird come this way today?"

"As a matter of fact I have! It just came by, cawing really loudly! I think it went up to the mountain!"

"Thank you!" Clyde replied, turning around and dashing back to the pub, swinging around the corner and throwing himself inside, his body and clothes completely drenched.

The pub was a shabby building with an odd man creeping around behind the bar. Clyde ignored the man's strange looks as he ran to the stairs, being careful not to slip on the floor. He wasn't exactly sure what any of this was about, but a strange sensation inside him made it seem like pursuing Palidor would lead to something big.

"What a way to go back to the old life…" he said to himself as he continued on up the building.

Obviously train robbing wouldn't be something to be necessarily active in now. But he definitely didn't care to think of himself as a warrior either. Maybe he was just Clyde the Journeyer? There was so much to think about, yet so little time to think about it as he reached the outside again, walking amongst the stairways on the side of the pub with a rotting roof providing cover from the rain. As he moved along, he could tell his wet clothes were weighing him down, and he quickly took his heavy coat off and simply threw it over the edge, letting it fall to the world below. Within seconds of hitting the ground, several men raced to reach it, willing to grab anything that they could get their hands on obviously.

But, with that burden gone, Clyde climbed the rest of the way easier, finally reaching the door that led straight into the mountain itself. He ran on through and was now going down a long rock passageway, very little light available to him as he stumbled around. It wasn't long before he reached the core of Mount Zozo, traversing the treacherous pathways around the threatening trenches. The inside was like an unrealistically giant cave, with just the right amount of light to be able to see. He finally saw brighter light from a hole in the side of the mountain wall, leading to the outside ledges of the landform.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Clyde shook violently, knocking him off his feet. He whirled around at a distinct roar behind him. Coming from a crevice he had just passed came a sallow hand, pulling upwards as a whole form rose from the earthen opening. A giant with brownish-yellow skin and tattered blue and purple rags with chains around its wrists and ankles, along with huge leather boots appeared from the crevice. Clyde glared at the monster, holding his sword at the ready as it slowly stalked towards him.

"Come on! Come get me!" he taunted.

The giant growled and rushed forward, hurling its massive fist at its human target. Clyde narrowly escaped the attack by ducking to the left side as its powerful knuckles pummeled into the ground, creating a large crater where Clyde once stood. He only had a second to think before the giant's right foot came swinging right at him. The edge of its boot clipped him on his left shoulder, still bruised from his altercation with Palidor. Clyde gritted his teeth in pain as he was knocked onto his back.

The left foot soon came right over him and nearly crushed him before he painfully rolled to the side, the ground shaking from the impact. He quickly jammed his sword through the giant's boot, stabbing its foot. The monster roared in pain and shook its foot around wildly, sending Clyde against a jagged wall, his sword sliding out as its foot rose.

"These things were never this difficult before!" Clyde gasped, slowly rising to his feet.

The monster once again threw its fist at him, which he ducked to avoid and was hammered in the back with the debris from the wall. His sword was only a foot away, and he grabbed for it quickly before the beast grabbed him in between its fingers. Clyde was lifted into the air by his legs, his sword hanging loosely in his fingertips. The creature raised him up to the level of its face, staring directly into Clyde's eyes. It let out a hideous roar, bringing incredible pain to Clyde's ears. He was completely helpless now, with a comparably weak sword than he had used before, and with no aid from his companions. He really should've kept his armor now.

Suddenly, a loud screech came from the opening in the wall. Both Clyde and the giant turned to see Palidor squeezing in through the hole, clicking its beak. The creature immediately dropped Clyde, who landed very roughly on the ground. The two monsters approached each other slowly, squaring off inside the mountain. The former mercenary watched with apprehension, crawling as fast as he could to the nearest wall.

The giant ran forward, throwing a hard punch at the esper. Palidor's head shot straight down and stabbed its attacker with its sharp beak. Right after, it swiped its right wing across the giant's face, sending it stumbling backwards. Clyde didn't know how to feel now, as Palidor was supposedly dangerous now, and yet it had basically just saved his life. The fight continued as the giant slapped Palidor in the face with the back of its hand, nearly knocking it over the edge of one of the nearby chasms. The bird esper quickly recovered and assaulted the monster with its claws, slashing at it relentlessly. The giant was now helpless as it was repeatedly scratched up. Finally, Palidor hooked its talons into the creature's chest, then pushed it back with such a force so that it fell straight back into the crevice it appeared from, screaming all the way down.

"Good work…" Clyde murmured in reference to Palidor.

The esper then snapped its head in his direction, sending a piercing shriek at him. It flapped its wings erratically, charging towards Clyde's injured form.

"Shit…" he coughed, attempting to crawl away, sword in hand.

It came closer and closer, snapping its beak as it cawed furiously. Clyde had very limited mobility, wondering why he ever decided to run out here in the first place, because now he was in too deep. He was about to attempt to throw himself into the crevice, hoping that he would land on a ledge safely, until something suddenly came to mind…

"_Wow, I haven't seen throwing skills like that in a while… you're about as good as Shadow the assassin!" _echoed Celes' voice from yesterday.

Without wasting a second, Clyde held himself up with his left hand, swinging his sword across and flinging it straight at Palidor. The blade pierced through the bird's left wing, causing it to scream out in pain, stumbling from its course and running about wildly. He took immediate advantage of the situation and struggled greatly to stand. Once he was somewhat on his feet, Clyde limped as fast as he could in the direction that he came from, leaving Palidor to flail around the inner mountain in pain.

"This is just too much now…" he groaned to himself as he went along the mountain passageways.

The sounds of the esper's screaming faded as he once again found the dark path back to Zozo. After his vicious confrontation, he felt completely dry now, but in a lot of pain at the same time. The last time he felt this way was when he was attacked by an elderly behemoth in a cave on the Vedlt. The only difference then was that his friends had quickly come to his rescue.

"If only Interceptor were here," he said solemnly, feeling disheartened at the absence of his dog.

He knew his pet would be fine in Relm Arrowny's hands, but he was always the best companion he'd ever had. Interceptor was there to protect Clyde at any time, just like man's best friend should. In return, Clyde treated him very well, using most of his mercenary money to buy the best dog food around. He felt that his friendship with his dog was kind of a second chance after his failure for Baram…

"Baram…" he said softly, still limping along.

He would never forget that night. The two of them had just pulled off an amazing heist on a train, stealing a great deal of supplies and treasure from the Empire. Unfortunately, they were apprehended too soon afterwards. He and Baram had escaped by throwing themselves into a nearby river as they were escorted to Vector for incarceration. The river only carried them a short way before they both jumped out and ran through the cover of a nearby grove of trees, the Empire chasing right after them. As they fled, the soldiers fired upon them with their long-range weapons, mostly consistent of crossbows. Baram had taken several hits as they climbed a high mountain, their only means of escape at the time. When they reached the summit, leaving the soldiers far behind, but pursuing, Baram had lost a fatal amount of blood, hanging on to his dear life.

Baram had only one thing to ask of Clyde… and that was to deliver his coup de grace for if the empire had captured him, death would be the least of his worries. But Clyde was too much of a coward to do it… he just didn't have the heart to kill his only friend and partner to pit him out of his misery. He left Baram to die on his own and would never forget it.

"I'm so sorry Baram…" Clyde whimpered, feeling his way along the wall as he proceeded forward.

Then his mind fell upon the following events… he had found his way further along the mountains before slipping on a loose ledge and plunging into the ocean. His body was swept away to a distant continent, where he steadily recovered on the shore. When he was well enough to move, he headed north to find a quaint little village known as Thamasa. That is where he met that girl… the girl who took him in when he had nowhere to go… the girl that he could not stop thinking about at the time… the girl he eventually grew to fall in love with. That was even when he first met Interceptor, who had accepted him on his first night in the village.

"My god… the girl… Julia," he gasped.

Never before had he totally recollected this, but it all came back in a massive rush. He and Julia had a daughter, something he only recently remembered. It was only days later that Julia died. A good friend of hers, whom Clyde could not remember at all, took care of the child as he, Shadow, went on his own path. Interceptor attempted to keep him there somehow, but he couldn't bear the pressure of raising a child without a mother alongside him. And he just didn't want to be in a world without Julia. He took the dog with him while leaving Julia's friend the aging man, and his baby girl safe in Thamasa.

Clyde had often suffered from amnesia, and even when he accompanied Locke, Celes, and Terra to Thamasa in the World of Balance, nothing really made sense to him, yet it was all oddly familiar. Something about that night had told him to rescue the old man's granddaughter from the blazing inferno that enveloped the house she was trapped in.

"Relm… RELM!" he shouted for no apparent reason.

Clyde stopped right where he was, just outside the door to Zozo, able to hear the rain perfectly. His head grew a pounding headache from the memories that came back to him, and given his current condition, this wasn't the best time to have an epiphany.

"Julia… Strago… Relm…" he whispered.

Clyde fell to his knees weakly. The girl… her name was Julia Arrowny. Her good friend was the elderly Strago Magus. Eleven years ago he had left Thamasa to pursue a new, emotionless life, and only a year ago from present time did he run into someone that he'd completely forgotten. Relm was his daughter, and he never even realized it. Clyde put his hands to his face, feeling very sick at the moment… yet he smiled. He smiled because his child was still alive and well, and a hero along with the rest of his companions.

A loud crash of thunder broke him out of his sickly trance, and he suddenly stood up with a new motivation. He had to return to Thamasa and seek out Strago and Relm. He ignored the pain in his body, walking as steadfast as possible through the doorway and into the bleak city. Clyde was determined to put these adventures behind him just to be with his daughter again, and nothing would dare stand in his way.

The trip back down was slow going, due to his beating in the mountain, but he survived all the same. He was more careful once he left the pub, avoiding the monsters and people by keeping close to the wall of the building as he steadily edged his way to the entrance. He wasn't entirely sure that he'd be able to make it all the way back to Jidoor, but with his determination, he had to try.

"I'll never leave you again Relm," he said as a sort of reassurance to himself as he passed the entrance to Zozo, leaving the city, the mountain, and the crazed esper behind.

Suddenly, he felt his legs give out, and his whole body became limp. The exhaustion from the day and the returned memories had taken its toll. Clyde fell face first into the muddy ground with the rain falling upon his tired form. Eventually, he looked up at the dark sky one last time and blacked out…

_Author's Notes: This chapter is comparably short to the more recent ones, but I feel it served its purpose well. Julia Arrowny is a name I made up completely (with exception for the last name, which is Relm's), and the explanation behind Baram's death, and Clyde's amnesia is just my own speculation of events. The next chapter will be posted as soon as I get reviews on my revival of this story._


	10. Friends

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter X – Friends**

At the moment, all Clyde knew was blackness until something wet touched his forehead. He slowly regained his consciousness and awoke to find Owzer standing over him, his big beady eyes right over his face. A wet rag was draped across his forehead, and a bag of ice was propped up against his left shoulder.

"Owzer?" he croaked.

"Ah! Glad you're finally alright Clyde! Gave me a scare when I came up to Zozo on a chocobo. I thought you'd been seriously hurt!"

"Where'm I now?" he asked groggily.

"You're in my house now. I put some ice on your shoulder, since it's pretty banged up, and you felt a little warm so I've been keeping your forehead cool for a while."

"What time is it?" Clyde wondered.

Owzer looked over at the nearby grandfather clock, squinting to see from his old age.

"Nearly three in the afternoon."

"Three? How long was I out?"

"Well, I left my house at about ten, nearly an hour after you left, since nobody could tell me where you went except for Mr. Geeda, whom I didn't find until a while. I suppose I found you at about twenty after ten."

"Five hours…" Clyde groaned.

"Are you alright now though?" asked Owzer.

The injured man nodded very slowly. Clyde was very grateful to Owzer's hospitality. Before he met the man, he always thought he'd be a snobbish, rich man with no heart. However, this turned out to be far from the truth. He shut his eyes once more, setting his head back, still feeling hurt from his previous encounter, but definitely glad to be in the safety of this house.

"Right, well you rest on up here. I have company that I must attend to," he said, leaving the bedside and descending the stairs.

"Quite sorry about that Mr. Magus. I had to check on my friend who seems to have recovered nicely," said Owzer from below.

"Oh, it's quite alright. So you say your paintings were stolen?" came another voice; an elderly, but friendly voice.

"Mr. Magus?" Clyde murmured.

"Yes! Every last one of them! Gone!" Owzer exclaimed.

"They stole my Starlet painting?" came another voice… this one young, and one of the sweetest things to reach Clyde's ears in a long while.

"Relm and Strago!" he whispered to himself, leaping from his bed.

Before he proceeded, he made sure to contain his excitement, for he was a different man now. But, Strago might recognize him as he was, which was a slightly uncomfortable feeling. Despite this, Clyde continued to the stairs and slowly walked down, drawing the attention of the three downstairs.

"Ah, feeling in tip-top form now, Clyde?" asked Owzer cheerfully.

Relm looked at him with a simple expression, viewing him as just another guy. Clyde saw her differently now though. He saw her as his cute, very gifted daughter for the first time. She hadn't change at all since he last saw her either, and she still wore her odd hat and rather spunky clothing.

Strago, the short, old mage with completely white hair and a bright red cape, took one look at him and his eyes widened, mouth falling open. Suddenly, from around the corner came a familiar black and brown Doberman, its tongue lolling as it panted heavily, tail wagging as Clyde came down.

"Oh Interceptor! Don't bother him!" called Relm.

"It's quite alright, miss," Clyde replied, feeling very odd referring to his own daughter as 'miss'.

When he reached the bottom, Interceptor came closer, nudging Clyde's leg with his nose. Clyde smiled and began petting his dog on the head, turning his attention to Strago, who was absolutely speechless.

"C-Clyde? Is it really you?" the old man stuttered.

"Yes sir… it's me," said Clyde.

"My goodness! I should've known it was you all along when you first came to our village last year! And you're alive!" Strago exclaimed, running forward and embracing Clyde, who returned the gesture gladly, feeling very warm deep down.

"Grandpa? Who is this?" asked Relm.

The two men separated and glanced at each other quickly before turning to Relm.

"My dear, this is Shadow! He's still alive!" Strago said with joy.

Relm's eyes lit up at the name and she ran forward, hugging Clyde around the waist, as that was as high as she could reach.

"Shadow! What happened to all your clothes?" the girl asked.

Clyde smiled and patted her head.

"I got rid of them. After Kefka's tower fell I kind of wandered into Tzen and was taken in by a kindly old lady. My old clothes were completely torn up anyway, and I could never find my helmet," he said.

"Goodness! Clyde, you never told me! That's how you knew the painting was possessed before! You were here!" piped Owzer.

"I'm sorry Sir Owzer… I was just trying to abandon that persona… I'm still Clyde, and Shadow has nothing to do with me anymore!" he said apologetically.

Owzer smiled and nodded, coughing.

"My gosh though… you survived the fall of Kefka's tower?" said Strago.

"Surprisingly, yes… I had every intention of letting myself die to find the happiness in death that I would never receive in life. I figured that it would be a way for me to get closer to everyone I knew… in spirit. But now I see that I was definitely wrong," he replied as Relm let go of him and Interceptor sat at his feet.

Strago slowly nodded his head, smiling happily at Clyde. This reunion seemed too good to be true for all of them, and Owzer watched gladly as the three comrades were together again after the hell that their lives had been only recently.

Later that night, Strago and Relm had stayed over at Owzer's house, catching up on Clyde's recent adventures. He relayed as many details as possible when recalling everything from his first day in Tzen to his adventure in Zozo. Both of them were absolutely drawn in by his storytelling, Relm hardly able to keep her excitement contained.

"That's an amazing tale, Clyde! And you've gone through all of this in just three days now?" said Strago cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's been hella rough for me lately. But as I said, something definitely is not right in the world still. I thought all the espers had been destroyed after the three statues were," Clyde said in a more serious tone once their jolly moments had passed.

"Indeed… and you say Celes used magic on Phunbaba? I would think that impossible unless something still remained here," Strago mused.

"I'll bet the jerk who stole those pictures is behind it all!" Relm said gruffly.

"Well… personally, I feel a bit suspicious of the fellow who painted them. His name is Tom Geeda, and he's a real stiff," said Clyde.

"Oh come now Clyde! He's a nice man!" said Owzer.

"Tom Geeda… never heard of him," said Strago.

"Well, after that incident with the painting of Shoat, I figured some person must be behind it."

"We need to tell the others!" Relm declared.

"That does sound like a good idea. Neither Locke, Celes, nor Setzer recognized you at all?" Strago asked.

"No. Celes even compared my throwing skills to 'Shadow' right in front of me," Clyde answered.

"Well, I assume that you would prefer to remain anonymous then? You know, given that you are putting your past behind?" said Strago.

"I would like that, yes. But how are we ever going to reunite with all of them?" Clyde asked, doubtful that they would be able to regroup in their entirety.

"You said you met Setzer didn't you? I'm sure he flies around all over the place!" said Relm.

"But the chances of him finding us are kind of slim, aren't they? And how did you get here anyway?" Clyde inquired.

"Ah, we came here by ferry. There's a port not too far from Jidoor that sails ships all over the world. Relm really wanted to visit Mr. Owzer again to finish her painting of Starlet, but now it's apparently been stolen," explained Strago.

"And we have to find the criminal who did it! Those paintings are masterpieces, and having them in the wrong hands is just ghastly!" Owzer shouted.

"But we have to destroy those paintings," Clyde said disappointedly.

Owzer closed his eyes and drooped his head nodding slowly. He twiddled his fingers together for a moment before opening his eyes again and looking up.

"Yes, I understand," he said sadly, obviously very crushed by the destruction of art.

"Don't worry man, it's all for the good of humanity!" Strago said, attempting to bring optimism to the situation.

Owzer smiled and nodded, coughing as he came closer.

"Quite right! And after you brave heroes defeated Kefka, I'm positive you can do anything!"

Clyde smiled, feeling unusually happy for the moment. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better now, and maybe… just maybe they would find their old friends. However, he had always been a cynic when it came to chances.

"Well, fellows… I believe it is time I retired to bed. Would you two require lodging?" Owzer asked to Strago and Relm.

"Oh no, it's quite alright! We'll get a room at the inn for tonight," Strago said quickly, smiling.

"Very well. Goodnight all, and have a pleasant sleep," said the art collector, trudging off down the hall and up the stairs slowly, coughing on his way.

"Relm, could you wait outside for a while please? I'd like to speak to Clyde alone," asked Strago.

"But Gramps! Anything you say to him you can say to me, can't you? Please?" she pleaded.

"No, no… I have a very important matter to discuss with him. Go on now!"

"Meanie…" she huffed, stomping over to the door and throwing it open, slamming it shut as she went outside.

Strago turned to Clyde and his face grew serious, eyes boring into his. The old man glanced around carefully, as if worried that someone might hear, then he finally returned his attention to him.

"Clyde… you know who she is… don't you?" he asked.

Clyde sighed heavily.

"Yes… I do. And now I regret ever leaving the village. I should've known Julia wouldn't live forever. I guess I just wasn't ready for her to leave so soon," Clyde replied.

"How are you going to tell her though? I mean… she believes that you and Julia were killed by wild animals one day and that she was rescued and brought to me. I don't even know if she would believe it, or accept you."

"I… I don't know, sir. Maybe I should just not tell her at all, and let her live life as she has for the past eleven years."

"Maybe… but don't you want to tell her? She is your daughter, after all."

"I know, and I do want to tell her. It's just that, like you said, I don't think she'd believe me."

"Everything is always worth trying," said the mage.

"I understand. I will have to think about it."

Strago nodded and smiled again, his white mustache poofing up on his upper-lip as he did so. Clyde felt better from this, and he set his hand on the elderly mage's shoulder.

"You take care now, Strago. I guess I'll see you in the morning to discuss tactics?"

"Right you are, Clyde! Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

With that, Strago quickly went to the door, opening it slowly to see Relm standing impatiently at the doorstep, tapping her foot.

"It's about time!" she growled.

Strago began making his sincerest apologies to his "granddaughter" as he shut the door, leaving Clyde standing in Owzer's first floor hall alone, pondering the events that had passed, and the events that might come. He stood there for quite a while before finally returning upstairs to his personal area. Looking at his bag of loot, he figured that tomorrow would be the best time to start gaining his profits. Of course, he wouldn't dare sell all of it here, and only a tiny fraction. To get rid of it all, he'd have to travel the entire world to get the most out of the business.

Clyde slowly trudged over to his bed, looking at his left shoulder which seemed to be healing just a bit. It was still tender and painful to the touch, but his body no longer ached as it had before. His sleeveless arms were still covered with minor scratches from the chaos in Mount Zozo, but Owzer had taken the liberty in cleaning the bigger stuff up for him. Looking down at his pants, he noticed that nothing was ripped and only a little worn out. Once satisfied with his status, Clyde sighed heavily as he let himself fall onto the bed, falling asleep without removing his belt or boots.

The next morning, Clyde was once again the first to rise apparently, stumbling from his bed groggily, wondering why his boots and belt were still on. He shook his head for a moment to wake himself up before proceeding downstairs. The house was entirely silent, and not much activity could be heard outside. Looking at the clock, Clyde noticed that it was seven o'clock in the morning.

"Heh, everyone is definitely still asleep at this time," he said to himself.

With nothing better to do, he simply walked out the door to get some fresh outside air. The city was nearly as quiet as the house, with the exception of the morning birds chirping freely. Clyde took a seat on the top step that lead to the mansion, observing the peaceful Jidoor. The ground was still cracked from Palidor's assault yesterday, and he could see some of the roofs were nicked a little, but other than that this place was the perfect little city.

The sky above was just as peaceful, emanating a calm with its light blue hue, the clouds pink from the light of the rising sun. A cool breeze passed by momentarily, giving Clyde the chills at first. He hadn't experienced a morning so quiet in a very long time. It was almost surreal to him, as if he were dreaming. Curiously enough, he didn't have any nightmares last night, unlike the previous three nights. He smirked at the thought that death had finally given up on him, but found it unlikely.

"You're up a bit early, aren't you fellow?" asked a voice.

Clyde whipped his head around, looking for his addressor, and then he noticed Tom Geeda ascending the steps towards him, wearing the same outfit from yesterday, and holding his hands behind his back as he normally did. What the hell was his deal with coming here in the morning?

"Do you always come to disturb Sir Owzer in the morning?" Clyde asked caustically.

Tom Geeda stopped three steps away and quirked his eyebrow, looking at Clyde rather quizzically. The former mercenary, who had observed people far too much, knew that Geeda would so love to say something nasty, but wouldn't to retain his 'dignity'.

"Do you always chase after animals too strong for you to defeat alone? Think you're some kind of hero? Or maybe it's something to do with self-pride? Is that it? Or are you just a hunter of big game? I see your shoulder is rather bruised. Tell me, how does one foolishly run into a battle they cannot win?" Tom replied sharply.

Clyde couldn't believe it… he had made a snobbish, snide retort!

"I happened to know that bird, personally… I wasn't pursuing to attack it. I was pursuing it to find out what the matter was. I've never been and never will be a hero. I doubt anyone's self-pride goes as high as yours, sir… and hunting isn't necessarily my kind of thing. Furthermore, how did you know that I lost?" he asked finally, curious and suspicious at the same time.

"Well, because the very same bird, Palidor, attacked Maranda down south."

"Maranda? Is the city alright?" asked Clyde in a changed tone.

"Hardly, given their condition before. They can rebuild, but the damage is incredible. Where were the Returners when you needed them, eh?"

Clyde was really starting to hate this guy now. Owzer only knew him as a painter and not a person; he didn't seem to understand this man's callous ways. And he still didn't trust him.

"What are you doing here?" Clyde asked straightly.

"I'm here to see Mr. Owzer, of course, and hopefully in private. I'm sure there are others around here for you to talk to. Now if you would excuse me," he said, lightly shoving Clyde out of his way as he finished climbing the stairs and approached Owzer's door.

Clyde somewhat wished he still had his sword. He didn't know what he'd do with it… maybe just scare Tom. He stood and watched as Geeda knocked on the door harshly. Moments later, the door opened and Owzer appeared in his white night clothes, happily greeting the man and letting him inside. Clyde just glared, taking a seat back on the steps again.

He shut his eyes for a moment, attempting to get used to the calm once more, since his morning was abruptly disturbed by Geeda's unwelcome presence. What in the hell could he want with Owzer in the morning though? Nobody else was awake, so why was he? And what was so private? Was he talking to Owzer about Clyde himself, maybe that he shouldn't be trusted? Clyde couldn't take it anymore, and he got up from his seat, carefully walking over to Owzer's front door. He stopped and put his ear up to the wood, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"-just can't be trusted. He seems far too suspicious," came the voice of Tom Geeda.

"Oh Tom, you're just being paranoid!" replied Owzer.

"No, Sir Owzer… I am not. You have to tell him to leave."

There was a moment of silence, and then Owzer's reply:

"I'm sorry Tom, but I will not do that. I don't know what you have against him… but I will not expel him from my house."

"Well then, I am afraid you will have to go then. With your knowledge working with his skills, you'll uncover the mystery! We can't have that," Geeda replied.

"W-what are you talking about Tom?" Owzer asked, coughing.

"Goodbye, Sir Owzer…"

"Tom? What is that? Tom! Put that down right now! TOM!"

Clyde didn't waste a second in hurling the door open. He lunged inside the house, finding Owzer backing away from the menacing form of Tom Geeda wielding a knife. Owzer's assailant only had a moment to turn his head before Clyde's foot came flying across his face, sending him into the wall and to the ground. Geeda attempted to reach for his knife after it fell to the floor, but Clyde quickly stepped on it, holding it securely under his boot.

Tom looked up at him and growled, jumping to his feet and shoving Clyde into the wall behind him. He then took off running out the door, leaping down the steps and fleeing from the town itself. Clyde was about to chase after him until Owzer intervened.

"No Clyde… let him go. You might get yourself nearly killed or fully killed by chasing after that madman," Owzer said rather sympathetically.

"I knew something wasn't right about him…"

Owzer nodded, slowly walking over to Clyde and resting his long-fingered hand on his shoulder.

"But you saved my life once again, good sir… and I'm very grateful for that."

"I'm only returning the favor, Sir Owzer," Clyde said smiling.

"But now, it seems that we might have a suspect in our little mystery," said Owzer triumphantly.

Clyde simply responded with a nod. Owzer hobbled over to his desk and began sorting through the various books stacked upon it, murmuring to himself as he examined each one. Without saying a word, Clyde walked back to the door and out of the house, hurriedly jogging down the steps and all the way to the inn. He entered the building and asked for a room under the name of Magus. The clerk pointed to the nearest room, and Clyde subsequently walked over to the door and knocked anxiously. Moments later he was greeted by a groggy Relm from the doorway.

"Sh-shadow? I mean Clyde?" she said sleepily.

"Come on Relm, wake your grandfather up and come back to Owzer's house," he said quickly before leaving the inn, the little girl sleepy and confused all at once, almost believing this was just a weird dream before Strago foolishly stumbled out of his bed behind her.

"Oh grandpa…"

_Author's notes: So, basically, Strago never recognized Clyde as Shadow before, but now that Interceptor had noticed him so easily, it immediately came to him. As for never recognizing him before, I would just assume that Strago's age (He's like… 70) is catching up on him, plus… what kind of ninja/assassin talks in the same voice? _


	11. Disaster

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XI – Disaster**

"So you suggest we take the ferry?" asked Strago, sitting in Owzer's secret kitchen after they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

"It would be the easiest way to do things, considering that Setzer always preoccupies himself with women, gambling, then flying," said Clyde.

"He's so weird," said Relm, jumping down to the floor to play with Interceptor, who awaited attention eagerly.

"We can get to Figaro Castle by the new train system… though the anomaly if it being built so quickly is still stuck in my mind."

"Oh, they began building it a few days before we assaulted Kefka's tower. People from all around volunteered to help, and the work was done amazingly fast. Plus, some general-purpose airships had been utilized to carry the trains, which had been built previously, onto the tracks," explained Strago.

"Well, I suppose that clears that up," Clyde replied.

Clyde grabbed another piece of buttered toast, feeling rather hungry since eating only dinner yesterday, without breakfast or lunch. Interceptor immediately came to him, sitting anxiously with his tail wagging. He smiled and broke off a small portion and fed it to his dog, who took it gratefully, returning to Relm's side. On the other side of the kitchen, Owzer was busying himself with more reading, but Clyde didn't really see why, as all roads seemed to point to Tom Geeda.

"Uh, Sir Owzer… I think it might be best if you come along with us," Clyde suggested.

"W-what? Me go back to Figaro? The authorities are out for my head!" he said in a panic, coughing up a fit.

"Don't worry about it… we'll get you a clever disguise somehow. I don't think Tom Geeda would hesitate to come back here for another murder attempt."

"Well alright… if you say so," Owzer said emptily.

"And don't you worry about getting in the way either. We'll protect you from all danger."

Owzer nodded at Clyde's words, feeling somewhat uplifted now. He was beginning to get excited about this journey and gave them a wide smile. They discussed their ideas further into the morning, figuring out how to convince their comrades of the danger, how to keep Owzer's and Clyde's identity secret, what to prepare with, and so on. By the mid-afternoon, all four were packed and ready to go. Clyde had sold a good deal of his loot, using the money to buy more pairs of the wardrobe he currently had, only in different color schemes. He hid the remaining treasure in Owzer's room, a place that no one would be able to access… hopefully. Just before leaving, Clyde made it a point to purchase a new sword.

"How far is this ferry?" asked Clyde as Strago and Relm greeted them outside the inn with their own luggage, Interceptor standing next to Relm.

"It's just a ways down to the southwest," Strago informed him.

"I wish I had known that before I took my own boat to Figaro…" Owzer said disappointedly as they headed out of Jidoor, his favorite walking cane that Clyde had only seen once during Kefka's reign in hand.

"Oh Sir Owzer… you just got more adventure out of it by not knowing!" Relm said optimistically.

"Yes, yes… you are too correct, my dear. This girl is a clever one!" Owzer said smiling.

Clyde glanced at Strago with a smile, feeling very proud at the moment. In the very distant past, he would've never dreamed of having a child, but as things were… he kind of liked it. Granted, she was oblivious to the situation, but she was definitely a happy girl. Still, he needed to figure out what to do about it. Would he tell her? Sometimes he figured he thought way too much, but it was just in his character to question so many things in his mind.

"Clever and a little too grown-up it seems!" Strago retorted jokingly.

"Oh Gramps… you think everyone's too grown-up! Maybe a portrait would mellow you down?" she said innocently.

"Ack! No no! That's quite fine, dear!" Strago responded quickly, eyes wide.

"I think you'd look really good on canvas!" she giggled.

Clyde couldn't help but chuckle at the relationship between the two of them. Strago was a caring man with a few eccentric qualities, and his pairing with the witty but wonderfully artistic Relm made them excellent company. He would even go so far as to say that all throughout their journey in the World of Ruin, they were his favorite comrades, despite not knowing who they really were in the first place.

"So Shad- I mean Clyde! Will you ever tell the others who you are, if we do see them?"

"He might not need to if you don't get his name right!" Strago jested, to which Relm stuck out her tongue at him.

Clyde remained silent for a moment, pondering on this question heavily. He had said that his identity was best kept secret, but maybe he owed it to them to know that he was alive and well. After all, they had come just in time when he was abandoned on the floating continent… they had waited for him at the airship just before the world transformed… they had rescued him from the behemoths on the Vedlt… and they even went so far as to fetch him from the Dragon's Neck Colosseum. To be so deceitful to them was absolutely unfair. However, for the sake of principle… he decided it best not to tell anyone anything just yet.

"I don't think I will," he replied.

"Oh… 'cause the others were really hit hard by your 'death'," Relm said softly.

"They were?" Clyde asked, turning his full attention to Relm.

"Yeah. Locke said that your stealth skills overshadowed his… and then he was so kind as to point out the pun to cheer some of us up. Meathead… Sabin, said that you were an incredible fighter and a good companion after his accident in the Lete River. Lover boy (obviously Edgar, Clyde thought) said he wished he could throw like you. Uh… Celes said that you were a nice guy, even though the rest of the world begged to differ. Cyan noted that you were a remarkable swordsman rivaling his skills. Gau didn't say anything understandable. But Terra definitely seemed the most distraught about it. She was almost on the verge of tears, recalling that time that you guys came to Thamasa and you talked to her for a while on the boat ride at night, and a few other insightful conversations," she explained.

Clyde was actually shocked by this news… Terra was distraught? He had gotten to know her a little better than some of the others, but never thought that she took his 'advice' to heart. Hell, it seemed rather cliché to him… the whole looking within for answers. She was a sweet girl, with just some emotional mix-ups. Now that he thought about it though, whenever everyone was aboard the airship, he would usually be conversing with her. One time she even questioned his past, to which he almost went into full detail, but decided against it quickly.

"Ah, I see…" he said emptily, turning his attention to the ground as they walked.

So far, the journey had taken them a good distance from Jidoor, and the harbor for the ferry was visible in the distance. Luckily the monster population had decreased since Kefka's downfall, but Clyde wasn't really worried about that. It made him feel so… alienated to think that his companions actually cared about him like that, with Terra being the most surprising. Even when they did talk, it was usually about where the world was headed, or what should be done next. He wasn't very personal back then, and she never talked about herself.

"Don't sweat it Clyde… she'll be fine," said Strago.

Clyde nodded and resolved to put Terra out of his mind. What an enigma she was though.

"My, I am certainly out of shape for this kind of walking," said Owzer, who was lagging behind a ways, trudging along at a snail's pace.

"Come on Sir Owzer! You can do it! Grandpa is walking faster than you!" Relm cheered.

Interceptor barked and pranced around Owzer, as if to encourage the large fellow to move faster. Owzer tried to shove the dog away with his cane, but to no avail.

"Ah! A little help here?"

"Interceptor! Come!" Clyde demanded.

The dog stopped its wild encouragement and immediately ran to Clyde's side, walking at a perfect pace with its head up high and its eyes kept sharp. Interceptor had always been a good dog. Even as a puppy in Thamasa, Clyde took to him very well. He was easy to train, and listened well too. He was glad to be reunited with such a good friend.

"It seems that lately your dog has become much more friendly," said Strago.

"Is that so?" Clyde replied, hardly surprised.

"Yes! Everyone in Thamasa loves him! He's so cute!" Relm exclaimed.

"Somewhat of a nuisance," muttered Owzer.

Not long from then did they eventually reach the cozy harbor. It was a sheltered dock with two relatively large ships in present view, one nearly ready to depart, with passengers still boarding. Clyde was almost about to inquire as to the fee for passage, but then noticed a sign declaring that the trip was free, and that the ferry ran on donations. He was surprised by this, because although other ship routes were free of charge, all had only a simple point A to point B option, unlike this ferry which apparently would go anywhere.

Clyde then took note of strange protrusions on the bottom part of the bow of the ship. They looked like slender barrels just arbitrarily placed in the least noticeable area of the boat. He couldn't even guess at their function and decided it was irrelevant. Looking around, he saw a few people coming in from the north, and even more heading off to the east. This harbor hadn't reached peak popularity quite yet, as shown by the lack of decent, safe transportation to it.

"Clyde! Hey! Come on!" Relm called.

Clyde whirled around to see his friends piling onto the boat, Interceptor waiting with a wagging tail for his master. Relm was hopping up and down on the deck, waving to him. He hadn't realized that he stopped moving to ponder such useless things. Quickly, he swiftly made it onto the ship, just as the crew was readying for departure.

"Daydreaming? Hopefully not about women… I think that's Edgar's job!" Relm said jokingly.

Clyde couldn't help but chuckle, recalling Edgar's tendency to flirt with EVERY woman in sight during their adventures. It was truly unreal. Setzer at least had other hobbies, and wasn't as concerned about it… Edgar made it a regular practice. Surprisingly, he was apparently a very charming fellow, except for in the eyes of Terra, whom he had taken a particular interest in every time he was turned down by another female.

Clyde and Relm then moved out of the way as the crewmen pulled the loading plank on deck as the ship slowly settled in the water, free from the anchor and drifting slightly away from the harbor.

"Alright folks! For those who have never been on this special boat before, I suggest you take a seat and hold on tight for the first few seconds! This thing's a special wonder that has revolutionized universal travel! We'll be setting off in ten seconds!" called the helmsman.

Clyde turned to Relm with an inquisitive look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, pulling him down by his arm into a seat on deck, which were benches attached to the sides of the ship. The vessel made a slight jolt and edged forward a ways, coming out past the land on the left that made up the lengthy isthmus that the famous Opera House was located on. Nine seconds later, once the ship had drifted well out into the open bay, another jolt put Clyde on edge before the boat rocketed off across the water. The former mercenary always enjoyed a good thrill, but he was now gripping his seat tightly with his muscles as rigid as stone.

"Woooo hoo!" shouted Relm over the drone of the engine powering the boat.

The other passengers seemed relatively calm, but Clyde had never been on anything like this. The Falcon could obviously go at much higher speeds, but being inside a ship-shaped cabin with no wind was quite a different feeling than this rush. The boat made a sharp turn and continued its amazingly fast course towards its destination, something that was the lowest in Clyde's mind. He felt like he would be ripped out of his seat from the force of the wind.

"Heh! I probably should've warned you fellows!" Strago yelled over the noise.

Clyde shakily turned his head to see Owzer looking doubly frightened, his cane held close to his chest and his already huge eyes open wider than ever. He looked down at the floor of the deck to see Interceptor lying calmly under the bench. The boat shot along the ocean, passing the popular opera house within a few minutes. Not too long after, the land began to grow larger as the isthmus became a bigger mass.

"Next stop! Maranda Harbor!" called the helmsman, who made a few more quick turns before stopping suddenly at a small inlet.

Clyde did not move a muscle until the boat had stopped completely by the covered pier. Even after, his movement was very limited.

"Was that a blast or what!" Relm said excitedly.

"'Twas fast…" Owzer stuttered.

Clyde remained silent, amazed at the technological advantages of their time. Everything else was run by steam lately, and it seemed that this ship was a revolutionary device. For a passenger vessel of this size and to be able to move at such speeds with easy maneuverability, the possibilities were endless in his mind. Airships were faster, but much more difficult to engineer, and there were only a select few in the world.

"Well Clyde? What'd you think?" asked Strago from behind.

"It was fast… but remarkable," he finally said.

"Oh my goodness…" came Owzer's voice again.

The other three turned to see the pier empty, and every person on the boat staring up to the north. Past the small desert was the town of Maranda, except nothing recognizable was there. Flames sprouted into the sky, dancing upon the rubble of the former houses. The destruction looked merciless, and not a person could be seen. Clyde looked around at the others, whom seemed more astonished than he. Thomas Geeda had told him that very morning that Maranda was destroyed, and yet the news was only just now being seen by these people? He now had not the slightest doubt in his mind that Geeda was very well acquainted with Palidor… a little too much for comfort.

"We should see if anyone is still alive!" shouted a passenger.

The helmsman turned to the fellow and nodded, steering the boat to the pier and quickly setting the anchor down. The crew hastily set out the plank and several men stood from their seats and ran towards the ruined town. Without wasting a moment, Clyde jumped from his own spot and followed them, Interceptor perking up and pursuing him.

"Clyde!" called Strago.

"Go fetch him by all means… but an old, ungainly guy like myself needs to stay here for my own good," said Owzer.

Strago understood and nodded, following Relm as she followed Clyde. Owzer stayed aboard the ship along with the women and other elderly men. Within a few moments everyone else had reached the destroyed town. Nothing had been spared. Everything was reduced to unrecognizable piles of bricks and wood. The dead bodies of the citizens were strewn about, many appearing to have been crushed.

"What the hell could have done this!" shouted an enraged man.

"No monsters have ever been this powerful!" said another.

"Maybe it wasn't a monster! Maybe the Empire has fooled us again!" shouted yet another.

Soon enough all the men were calling out their theories on the incident, pointing out insignificant things like fallen weapons, which could be logically explained as falling out of the weapon shop when it was obliterated. Clyde, Relm, and Strago went further into the destruction, looking around sharply. It made the little girl cringe to see so many corpses all around. It was unreal to all of them to see such destruction once again. The only time prior was when the imperial capital of Vector had been attacked by the wild espers in the World of Balance.

"Didn't Mr. Geeda tell you that Maranda had been destroyed?" Strago asked.

"That he did… and I'm guessing it wasn't at the time, and has only just recently been annihilated," Clyde replied quietly.

"H-help…" came a voice.

The three of them froze immediately, snapping their heads from side to side to locate the noise. Clyde then saw a piece of brick fall from a nearby pile, a finger extending from the heap of rubble.

"WE HAVE A SURVIVOR!" he yelled, running to the pile and immediately scraping the destruction away.

Soon enough, all the men were there helping out, finally retrieving a young woman of maybe twenty or so years of age. She was still very alive, but badly bruised and cut, with weak breathing. She was supported by many fellows at once, who began to carry her away to the boat before Strago stopped them.

"Wait! I know magic, and I may be able to help her!" he called to them.

They looked at him curiously for a moment but came back with the woman, setting her down softly on the ground. Her injured form twitched a little, head lolling to the side. The old man walked up to her, kneeling down beside her.

"Strago… are you sure you can use magic still?" Clyde asked.

"I sure hope so…" he said solemnly, extending his hand out over the girl's body.

"Cure!" he said aloud, moving his hand in a swift waving motion.

A faint green glow emitted from his hand, spreading across her body like a glittering dust, setting down upon her weak frame. Almost immediately, her eyes were wide open, and her breathing became a little easier.

"W-wha? Who are…?" she stammered.

"Are you alright miss?"

"Do you need further medical attention?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Are you thirsty?"

"Do you need to lie down somewhere?"

"Hey! Don't bombard her with questions!" Relm shouted, glaring at the protective men.

The woman looked at Relm and gave a faint smile, her eyes then wandering over every single person standing around her. She looked delirious, and almost attempted to stand but decided it was best to stay as she was, staring up at the gawking eyes of her rescuers. She was a cute girl with long, but now dirty and messy red hair. Her white blouse was covered in dust, and her long black skirt was torn widely at the bottom. She appeared to be somewhat frightened too, but Clyde would feel the same with so many people surrounding him while on his back.

"What's the next destination?" Clyde asked.

"Well, usually it'd be South Figaro, as Tzen doesn't have a harbor… but I think we need to get notification to the capital about this," said the helmsman.

"First we need to get this girl to a town though," he said urgently.

"If you're willing to stay with her…"

"We will!" Relm piped up.

The woman, still confused, was heaved up by the other men. She looked around oddly as she was carried back to the ship. Clyde, Strago, Relm and Interceptor followed up behind, leaving some of the crewmen to search for any other survivors or salvage.

"This girl will be a burden on our mission!" said Strago.

"No, she will not. Sir Owzer can take care of her, since he will have nothing better to do," Clyde answered.

"We're to leave him alone in South Figaro? I thought he was wanted there!"

"That is why we are going to get him a disguise…"

"But we don't have anything to disguise him with!"

"We'll find something!"

Both men were obviously frustrated at the moment. Clyde couldn't get his hatred for Tom Geeda out of his mind, and he had only known the man a day. Strago was worried that the girl would be in more danger now that they were bringing her along to Figaro. He always found it good to help those in need, but to endanger them further was not what he had in mind. However, Clyde definitely had no intention of having the young lady tag along for the entire mission. He would just have Owzer take care of her for as long as it took before they let her go on her own. It was the best option for the time being, especially given that magic can only do so much to help others.

"Well… at least we know the others will be obligated to help out after they hear about this!" said Relm.

_Author's Notes: Ok, this will be the last chapter for at least two weeks, as I'm leaving for vacation. During that time I would expect to get some reviews on this tale. Basically, your reviews will keep this story alive, and if I don't get any reviews… it shall be discontinued until they arrive. I'll see you folks again in about two weeks' time!_


	12. Figaro

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XII – Figaro**

Clyde carefully set the sleeping girl down on the bed. They were currently taking up refuge inside the north mansion, the home to the wealthiest person in South Figaro. Explaining their plight, with no permanent place to stay, the owner gladly offered his services and a bed for the woman. They were currently in the house's living room, the small cot holding the young lady set up against the wall.

"Owzer, you keep that disguise on at all times, and if you can help it… don't leave this house. You got it?" Clyde said sternly, feeling awkward from the way he parented the man who was at least two decades his senior.

Owzer, who was dressed with a dark purple cloak that was maybe a size to small, but good for squeezing his fat in, along with a fake mustache courtesy of Relm and an eye patch, nodded at Clyde's words, hovering over the sleeping girl.

"I'll take care of her while you visit the castle. Don't stay for too long though!" he said.

"Do not worry. We'll be back as quickly as possible," Clyde replied, retreating outside with Relm, Strago, and Interceptor.

"You think he'll be alright by himself?" Strago asked.

"As long as Tom Geeda doesn't have supernatural methods of following us, he should be fine if he avoids the security," Clyde said, eyeing the armored soldiers patrolling about.

As they made their way to the train station, Clyde hoped so dearly that he wouldn't be recognized. Seven soldiers had seen him so far, and any one of them could be on duty in the best place to catch him. Fortunately they weren't at the train station, but getting on the train was an unsettling experience, because they could've been anywhere.

"Hey Relm… you wouldn't mind if I used your hat would you?" he asked quickly as they took their seats aboard the train, Interceptor standing right up against Clyde's legs.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, taking it off.

"Well, I told you guys that I had run into Locke while looting this train, and I would prefer not to be noticed by those guards if they happen to be on board today," he answered.

Relm shrugged and passed her hat to him, to which he nodded and smiled at her. He had a bit of trouble fitting it on, gritting his teeth in frustration because her head was kind of small, but he eventually got it to work well enough so as to shroud his face and make it look as if he were sleeping. The train began moving not long after, starting off with an uncomfortable jolt that reminded Clyde of the ship.

"So how exactly are we going to greet ourselves? 'Hey Edgar! It's time to save the world again! You up for it?'" asked Relm.

"Maybe not quite so straightforward dear, but something like that… yes," Strago replied.

"I wonder if Celes is mad…" Clyde pondered.

"Hah! Celes is a sweet girl… she could never be mad at such a cool guy like you!" Relm said merrily.

"I wonder if Locke told her of our encounter," he pondered again.

"Oh stop worrying about it Shad- Clyde!"

"Relm, I truly hope you get his name right by the time we reach the castle," Strago said seriously.

"Oh Grandpa… don't worry 'bout it!"

The ride didn't last much longer, and Clyde was thankful for that, as no guards had entered their car yet. But, there were only about seven people, including them, so it probably wouldn't be a very advantageous position in patrolling this one. Finally, the train pulled into a shabby looking station that looked more like a hollowed out iron shed than anything else. The track appeared to continue to the north, where it would most likely just cycle around back to South Figaro. Curiously, as the four of them departed, the other passengers stayed aboard.

"Does this train have another destination?" Clyde asked.

"Oh yes! There's a new village being built up north on the coast!" Strago informed him.

"A new village? Amazing," Clyde mused.

"Are we just going to stand here at the station?" Relm asked impatiently.

Clyde just noticed that he and Strago hadn't moved, Relm and Interceptor already outside the station looking at the castle that was only yards away. They finally went out into the vast desert, the train signifying its leave with a loud whistle. Only a few other people had followed their suit, heading for the castle with odd looking bags in tow.

"Clyde! Can I have my hat back too?" Relm requested.

Clyde quickly yanked the tight-fitting hat off his head, knowing that he probably looked absolutely ridiculous with it on. He tossed it to Relm and gazed up at the amazing Figaro Castle. It was one of the finer wonders of this world, armed with the amazing ability to actually go beneath the surface and travel all the way to the continent holding Kohlingen.

"Gosh, this place is so cool!" Relm said with excitement in her voice.

She and Interceptor ran across the sand, reaching the castle in no time. They went inside as Strago and Clyde continued their steady pace, not nearly as anxious as she.

"Do you think any of them will recognize you?" Strago asked.

"I'm not sure. Do I sound the same?" Clyde asked in return.

"Not quite. I think as Shadow you were a bit quieter, and you didn't say a whole lot at once. And they would never be able to guess you by physical appearance. I think you'll be fine. And Interceptor is attached to Relm enough that I'm sure he won't blow your cover by giving you too much attention."

"Thank you for the reassurances," he said before stopping in front of the great fortress.

The chocobo-riding guards nodded to them as a greeting before both men stepped through the great iron doors leading into the castle. They found Relm and the dog waiting for them in the first room, which was decorated with blue crosses upon crimson tapestries, and two stairways leading down to either the left or right basements of the castle. Clyde marveled at the splendid interior, only having seen it once before.

They continued along the length of the structure, walking outside once more across the central area of the castle. On and on they went before finally reaching the elegant, decorative throne room doors. Two red-armored guards stood watch and immediately blocked their access.

"You have an appointment with King Figaro?" one said.

"Yes! Tell him that his old friend Strago is here," Strago said.

"And Relm!" Relm added sharply.

"Yes… and Relm," Strago muttered.

"Well, his majesty is currently entertaining other guests…" said the second guard.

"And those other guests are most likely people we want to meet as well! Get along and tell him sonny!" Strago said, acting most unlike himself.

"Ah… very well," the guard sighed.

One retreated into the throne room quickly while the other stayed at his post. They waited only a short while before the doors opened again, the guard peeking his head out.

"King Figaro will see you…"

Relm jumped for joy, running past the open door with Interceptor at her heels. Strago took his time in entering, which Clyde followed. The throne room was decorated with the same tapestries as seen earlier, along with four squared up columns on either side of the room, and two curtained off areas at the back. Sitting on his great blue throne was Edgar Figaro himself, his long blonde hair held in his familiar ponytail and his green and blue robes as tacky as ever.

"Strago! Relm! So good of you to visit me!" the king exclaimed, jumping from his throne.

Also present in the room were two sentries, who stood against the wall with their weapons always at the ready. Sitting in the throne next to Edgar's was the familiar, bewildered face of Locke. And standing next to him was Celes. Both of them smiled as they set eyes upon Strago and Relm, and both were wide-eyed when they saw Clyde…

"Clyde!" Celes gasped.

"Clyde…" Locke growled inaudibly.

Edgar quirked an eyebrow as Celes ran over to the new visitor. Personally, Clyde wasn't too surprised to see her here… but now it was just an uncomfortable feeling.

"What happened to you? Are you alright? I couldn't find you at the station!" she cried.

"I'm quite alright, Miss Celes… I just ran into some trouble and couldn't stay," Clyde answered humbly.

Locke scoffed.

"You know this guy?" Edgar asked.

"Yes! He's the one I said I had intended to bring… but I lost track of him! He's an amazing fighter Edgar, and he throws like Shadow used to!"

"We met this lad down in Jidoor!" Strago explained.

"Gone to see Sir Owzer, Relm?" Locke asked.

"Yeah. It was pretty fun," the little girl answered.

"Well then, how do you do Mr. Clyde? I am King Edgar Figaro!" Edgar proclaimed, extending his hand for a shake.

Clyde smiled and heartily shook his old comrade's hand, nodding.

"Beautiful castle you have here, your majesty."

"Why thank you!" Edgar said without the slightest bit of modesty.

"What exactly brings you guys here anyway?" Locke questioned, finally getting up from his seat.

"Aye… we've got a bit of a situation," Strago said grimly.

"Situation? What's been going on?" Celes asked worriedly.

"Um… let Clyde explain it to you!" Strago answered hastily.

Clyde snapped a look at the old man. He didn't prefer being put on the spot, but he supposed that it would be best to hear the first-hand account.

"Well, I was in Jidoor staying with Sir Owzer. You see, after I was forced to abandon the train, I met him in the forest. He said something about his friend being killed just after he had visited him. Naturally, I felt it best to investigate the matter, just to lend a helping hand. It turns out that Owzer had given his friend a painting of an esper… and according to the stories, you fellows battled a possessed painting before, didn't you?"

"By golly… don't tell me he had another one!" Edgar said in surprise.

"He did. It was a portrait of that pig one, and apparently it had petrified his friend."

"Shoat? A picture of Shoat killed someone?" Locke said, astonished.

"Yes, Shoat… and when we returned to Jidoor not long after, a giant colorful bird actually attacked the town. Palidor, I think he referred it as," said Clyde, hoping that his retelling seemed innocent enough to prove that he's just a bystander.

"Palidor? What? He attacked Jidoor?" Edgar said in even bigger surprise.

"Yes… and Sir Owzer said he had paintings of all the espers. They were stolen."

"Stolen! Are they all possessed?"

"We aren't sure… but chances are, they are."

"This is not good."

"Seriously…"

"Who painted them anyway? Relm only did Starlet, right?"

"A sick, twisted bastard known as Thomas Geeda," Clyde snarled.

Edgar's eyes grew wide at the name.

"Thomas… Geeda…" he spoke softly.

There was a heavy, uncomfortable feeling in the room now. Edgar seemed to be very taken aback by that name, as if he was familiar with it. Clyde eyed him curiously.

"You know him?" asked Strago.

"Thomas Geeda is a philanthropist who is funding the creation of that new village up north… he's here visiting at this very moment!"

"Where is he?" Clyde asked urgently.

"Let's go find him!" Strago chanted.

"Hey now, let's not be too hasty, I don't want any altercations in this castle," Edgar stammered.

"Edgar… this man could be dangerous. Something about him didn't seem right," said Celes.

"So you've met him too?" Strago asked.

"He came by asking for lodging… he also took his sweet time in reminding us about how well the construction is going, how beautiful Celes is, how generous Edgar is, how much work he's been putting in," Locke answered, sounding almost disgusted.

"Where is he?" Clyde demanded.

Edgar sighed and led the way out of the throne room, everyone following behind. Relm and Interceptor strayed at the back, curious enough to follow, but wary enough to hold back from whatever action might happen up front. The group traveled to the outside central area before turning left and heading through a door into the library. They descended the stairs that led to the outside of the castle. And finally, Edgar stopped before the door leading to the east retractable tower. He knocked casually.

"Um… hello? Mr. Geeda?" he called.

"Who is it?" came Tom Geeda's unmistakable voice.

"It's King Edgar… could I have a word with you?"

"Oh, yes of course your majesty!" he replied.

"I really don't think he's a bad man. He seemed perfectly innocent before," Edgar said quickly, turning to Clyde with a kind of glare.

The door ratcheted before slowly edging open. Thomas Geeda peered out with a smile, glancing at Edgar, then to Locke, and then Celes. His eyes suddenly set upon Clyde and he hurriedly slammed the door.

"MOVE!" Clyde shouted.

Edgar was aghast as Clyde threw the door open just as Tom had begun climbing the stairs to the top of the tower.

"No! Don't Clyde!" Strago called after him as the angry man gave chase.

Clyde bolted up the stairway as he unsheathed his sword. He nearly reached the top when the guard atop the tower was suddenly thrown down the stairs, bowling into Clyde and sending him crashing back down to the bottom. The others gathered into the room, helping the fallen men to their feet. Edgar was about to express his concerns about the conflict just as Clyde bolted up the stairs.

"Gah! You maniac!" the king called to him.

Clyde came upon the tower where Geeda was waiting for him. He quickly dodged a swift punch from the sinister fellow, taking a swipe at him with his drawn sword.

"You miserable little pest! Must you meddle in with my operations?" Tom barked.

Clyde remained silent and took a lunge at him. He nearly had him before Geeda leapt out of the way.

"Insolent cretin!" he yelled, "THUNGA!"

Clyde grew wide-eyed at the outstretched hand of his opponent, looking up at the sky to see a great yellow lightning bolt come crashing down upon him. The blast shattered the edge of the tower and sent Clyde flying over and falling to the ground, electrifying pain surging through his body.

"Thomas! What are you doing?" Edgar shouted as he came up the stairs.

"Stand back your majesty! Unless you would prefer to suffer the same fate as your friend Sir Clyde!" Geeda yelled back.

Edgar stopped midway up the stairs as Thomas Geeda raised his hand high in the air, turning to him for just one more note.

"You might want to check your basement however… you might find one of my friends there in a few moments. I bid you good day! Warp!" he yelled before vanishing in a brilliant flash.

Edgar ran back down the stairs to see the others flocked outside, helping Clyde to his feet. He approached them with a look of confusion.

"What happened?" asked Clyde with a grunt, gritting his teeth from the pain.

"He said-"

Edgar was cut off by a loud rumble and a shake of the ground that followed.

"The basement!" he said, running back into the castle.

"Clyde, are you alright?" asked Celes and Strago in unison.

"I'm fine! Follow King Edgar to the basement!" he growled.

Relm and Interceptor had already followed Locke, who was right behind Edgar in entering the castle. Strago came after them, and after Celes made sure that Clyde could walk, she came after that. Clyde himself hobbled slowly inside, shrugging off the helping hands of the guards.

"Don't worry… I can make it," he said to each one of them.

He came about to the stairway leading into the first basement, the rightmost one from entering. Celes had just disappeared down the long passage when he started on the first step. Clyde made it down in time to see Edgar grab a gold spear from a cache of weapons in the corner, Locke wielding the same dagger he had on the train, and Celes unsheathing her sword from the cover of her cape. Strago and Relm stayed close to the stairs, being unarmed. This particular basement was actually the castle jail, containing four jail cells with two on either side of the room.

"He said 'you might find one of my friends there in a few moments'," Edgar recited.

"Well, unless it's going to materialize out of nowhere…" Locke said skeptically.

The entire castle shook violently, the same rumble being heard again. The group looked around quickly, eyes and heads darting in every direction to find nothing. Then, a small grinding noise, like dirt being scraped at came from the left. Edgar walked curiously over to the leftmost cell of the room (when entering from the stairs, as opposed to facing the stairs). That cell was known to be a secret passage into the underground, which was exploited when the group visited the ruins of an ancient castle in their war against Kefka. It was there that they found the legendary esper Odin.

"Guys, keep your weapons ready," the king said shakily, approaching the front of the jail cell.

He squinted his eyes, looking into the darkness of the always open passageway, seeing nothing but black. Suddenly, a strange hiss came from the opening and two red lights appeared. Edgar gasped in fright, stepping back from the gate slowly. A loud roar made them all jump, and a great brown blur shot from the darkness, crashing through the cell door and smashing it against the wall just as Edgar leapt from the danger.

Their eyes grew wide as the figure was revealed to be a massive brown cobra with rocky-looking scales and a yellowish underbelly. Its green forked tongue slithered at them as its head rose into the air, eyeing every single person.

"No… T-t-t-t," Edgar stuttered.

"Terrato…" Strago finished.

Edgar carefully backed away from the giant snake esper, the others doing the exact same. It snarled and swayed its head from side to side.

"Run… lead it outside," he commanded.

"Edgar…" Locke began.

"I don't want it to destroy the castle… we need to lead it outside," he declared.

They hesitated a moment, staring in awe at the creature.

"GO!" he yelled.

Strago and Relm immediately shot up the stairs, passing Clyde. Locke came up soon after, with Celes following. Edgar taunted the beast with his spear before it made a sudden lunge at him, snapping its fangs shut into the stone floor, breaking the hard material. The king then took his run up the stairs, Clyde following him. He stopped when Interceptor's barking came from below.

"Interceptor! Come on boy!" Relm shouted from above.

"Interceptor! Come!" Clyde demanded, getting the attention of his dog, who knew that Terrato's presence was no good.

The former mercenary and his pet were the last to leave the basement, just as the snake's giant head came rumbling up the stairs. Celes looked at Clyde oddly for a moment, having heard his effortless command to the dog, but quickly dismissed her thoughts as she was forced to run through the front doors to the outside desert.

Clyde came tripping down the outside steps just as Terrato's snout fired through the doorway. He ducked down as the massive reptilian body passed over, capable of crushing him at any moment. With careful precision, he edged his body slowly to the side, sneaking out from beneath the creature. He almost considered just running his sword through it, but knew it probably wouldn't do much good there. Suddenly, Terrato's giant tail came whipping out from the castle, tossing Clyde several yards away.

"Yeah! Good snake! Get away from the castle!" Edgar called to the esper, waving his spear up high.

"Edgar! Behind you!" yelled Locke.

Edgar whirled around to see a white-gloved fist come colliding with his face, knocking him senseless and off balance. He whirled his head dizzily with stars sparkling across his eyes. His disorientation caused him to stumble around stupidly, waving his weapon dangerously close to his allies.

"The cat!" Relm squeaked.

"It's Stray!" said Strago.

"This should be grand…" groaned Clyde.

_Author's Notes: 2 reviews? Come on now children… that's disappointing. The heart line of this story steadily dwindles with the reviews. Keep them coming! _


	13. The Heated Battle

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XIII – The Heated Battle**

The decisive battle ensued as Terrato hissed and snarled, lunging at the nearby guards first. They panicked and began running about wildly. The giant brown body of the esper slithered back and forth as it dove back and forth for the small targets on the ground. Meanwhile; Stray, the gray-furred boot-and-glove-wearing cat pounced around the battlefield, meowing and hissing at the heroes.

"Interceptor! Get the bad kitty!" Relm called.

The dog barked loudly at the cat esper, growling ferociously in between. The cat, however, was not intimidated and wound his fists up for a punch. It was about to swing when Edgar came stumbling over in his still confused state, toppling over it.

"Aaah!" he screamed, followed by Stray's distressed meow.

Strago ducked for cover as Terrato shook its scaly body erratically, causing the ground to tremble in violent quakes, knocking everyone off their feet. Small ruptures appeared in the ground, the earth beneath the sand growing uneven with the displacement. Already being on the ground, Clyde didn't stay down for long, taking his chances and running for the giant snake. Once he reached it, he cut right across its tough underbelly, hardly dealing a scratch to the thick scales.

"Clyde! Get away from there!" yelled Celes.

The skilled ninja speedily rolled to the side, then forward to dodge the snapping jaws of the esper. He quickly spun around and slashed his sword across its noise before running a considerable distance away. The beast was about to pursue when a bright blast of fire blasted it in the side of the face. Celes stood back cautiously after casting the spell, hoping that she wouldn't be regretting that move. The battle continued as more guards poured out of the castle.

"Stupid cat!" yelled Edgar, kicking at the hissing and clawing Stray by the castle wall.

Interceptor came bounding to Edgar's assistance, growling and barking at the crazed cat. The two animals squared off for a moment before Stray leapt for the dog, who slapped it back with his powerful paw. Relm then came rushing over, throwing nearby rocks at the small esper.

"Relm! Get away from it!" Strago called helplessly, staying close to the castle walls as Terrato thrashed around.

The snake crushed the castle guards left and right as they came bumbling around with their pitiful spears. King Edgar kept shouting for them to get back inside and to take cover, but none would listen to his commands.

"Damn you! Stop being so protective! We can handle it!" he yelled, still feeling somewhat woozy.

Clyde stood back a ways, observing the conflict to plan out his moves. It was noticeable that the desert heat was taking its toll on all of them now, the heat of their movement enough of a hindrance in the first place. He could see everyone was operating rather sluggishly at the moment, with slowed reflexes and apparent fatigue.

"We can't beat them guys!" Relm cried, running away from Stray's scratching and clawing form.

"We need a miracle!" Strago yelled, ducking just in time as Terrato's huge tail came crashing into the castle wall, creating a large hole.

"Come here kitty!" Edgar said sadistically, chasing after Stray with his spear flailing; he hadn't quite recovered from his confusion, as he ran after the esper drunkenly.

The battle was incredibly disorderly at the moment, people running all over the place in the desert with a giant snake eating the guards left and right, their pained screams echoing across the barren landscape. Stray was now the subject of the chase, leading his eager pursuers in a crazy and confusing run about. Clyde didn't know exactly who to help first, as Locke and Celes were busy dodging Terrato's whipping tail, and Edgar, Relm, Strago, and Interceptor were preoccupied with Stray's confounding antics.

"Strago! Don't you still have magic?" Edgar shouted to the old man after he had stumbled in the sand.

"A limited degree! But nothing seems to be working out here!" Strago responded.

"Well somebody better think of something quick!" Locke interrupted, falling backwards from attempting to dodge Terrato's tail.

"You! Clyde! Quit standing around and make yourself useful!" Edgar commanded, lunging for the prancing cat.

Clyde nearly had the inclination to give a nasty response before suddenly catching an idea. He looked at Stray for a moment, then up to Terrato's hissing visage. He grinned and drew his sword-wielding hand back, slinging it forward with an effortless force that sent it whistling straight for the giant snake. The blade sliced through and embedded itself in the side of the esper's jaw, causing it to give out a slight screech of both pain and alarm. Its eyes then set upon Clyde, who carefully edged over to right, where Stray was jumping around in circles dodging Edgar's furious jabs of his spear.

"Clyde! What are you doing?" Celes called worriedly.

He gave her a confident glance before turning his eye contact back to the brooding snake, the giant monster swaying its head from side to side as it followed his every move. He suddenly broke off into a run, Terrato growling and launching its head forward, mouth wide open with several drops of blood leaking from its jaw.

"Woah! Don't run over here!" Edgar barked.

Clyde quickly leapt forward and pushed Edgar out of the way just as the snake's mouth came shooting by. Its snout closed in on the ground with a rumble, both men laying in the sand only inches away from it. Clyde looked up victoriously as Terrato gave a strained swallow, looking around confusedly. Stray was no longer a problem.

"Holy… that was brilliant!" Strago exclaimed.

The former assassin quickly scrambled to his feet, rolling underneath the esper's neck and reaching around to yank his sword from its jaw. It screeched in pain once again, slamming him from the side with its massive head, which sent him stumbling backwards into the sand in pain. The beast then turned to face the fallen king, who was terrified beyond anything he'd gone through before. It seemed to be glaring at him with its giant red eyes, forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth.

"Oh… shit," Edgar said emptily.

Terrato slowly lifted its head, flattening out its cobra hood as it curled its neck upward ready to strike, Edgar frozen stiff before it. Its giant body seemed to sway back and forth, delaying its attack for an element of surprise.

"Edgar… move!" Locke called.

"What's wrong with you?" Celes screamed.

A strange noise of rushing air suddenly distracted all of them, even the snake appearing confused. Quickly, it turned its attention to its prey and bellowed a sonorous roar before springing its head forward. All of a sudden, a colossal white blur came flying across, slamming into the side of Terrato's head, throwing it to the ground with a loud boom.

"No way!" Locke said in disbelief.

"The Falcon! What unrealistic timing!" Relm exclaimed in delight.

"Edgar! Get everyone on the ship!" called the familiar voice of Setzer from the port side of the airship.

Edgar finally seemed to break free of his trance. He quickly ran around the momentarily stunned body of Terrato to rally up the others and the guards.

"Ok, guards, I want you to get inside and get every single person out of the castle and into the airship as fast as you can! Now go!" he demanded.

The guards all nodded and sprinted back inside the castle, rallying up the citizens as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the others gathered around the Falcon as it landed right before Castle Figaro's doors. Several rope ladders were dropped from the sides, giving them access to get onboard.

"Setzer! Can we fit everyone on this ship?" Edgar called.

"Most definitely… just get them on here quickly! I don't want to be still on the ground when that thing wakes up!" he called back from the deck.

Excluding Edgar and Clyde, everyone else immediately began climbing, hurriedly throwing themselves onto the welcoming wooden deck, sighing contently in unison. Clyde casually grabbed hold of Interceptor and hoisted the dog up, the others waiting to pull him onto the ship. He then climbed up with everyone else.

"Hey Relm… has Interceptor recently become tame or something? It seems like he's taken to Clyde rather well…" Celes inquired.

"You know, I was curious too… and I think that's what it is!" Relm said, trying to put on her best and most inconspicuous smile.

Celes nodded with her own smile, still feeling odd inside, however. She knew for certain that Shadow was long gone, but something about Clyde reminded her of him so strongly. It couldn't possibly be him, but the resemblance in their actions was rather uncanny. She finally put these thoughts behind as the castle was being emptied, everyone filing out in a semi-orderly manner with as many belongings as they could've grabbed in the hasty departure. The guards had just begin helping the citizens onto the ship when a low rumble made everyone freeze.

"Uh-oh…" said Setzer, tossing his long white hair from his face to peer over at Terrato.

The serpentine monster moved slightly, its head gradually rising up from the ground. It curled up its body and slowly turned to face the Falcon.

"EVERYONE JUST GET ONBOARD!" Edgar screamed.

Terrato roared and looked ready to leap at the ship, but not before Clyde jumped over the edge and onto the hot desert sand, distracting it. He led it around the airship and closer to the castle, where it followed carefully, hunting him down. The others were about to express their concerns, but knew that this was a diversion to buy more time, as there were a lot of people to get onto the ship.

"Edgar! Set the castle for submersion!" Clyde hollered.

"What?" Edgar replied.

"Tell your engineer to go back inside and set the castle for submersion, but not to send it under!" he yelled again.

"Does everybody know about the castle's capabilities now?" Edgar fumed.

The king reluctantly sought out the castle engineer, who was still in line to get on. He relayed Clyde's instructions, an edge of distrust in his voice.

"Are you sure, your majesty?" the engineer questioned.

"Yes… just do it," Edgar replied with a sigh.

The engineer boldly ran back inside the building, quickly making his way downstairs to the engine room basement. He operated the first controls that made the castle "loose" in a manner of speaking, allowing it to actually move from its stationary position. Next, he operated the tower controls.

"Come on… come on through," Clyde said to himself, eyeing the beast from the other side of the left castle tower, the esper watching him from the gap in between.

A loud ratcheting rumble signified the tower's retraction. Clyde immediately ran to the left, causing Terrato to shoot through the closing gap. It swerved its head right and followed the running man. Suddenly, the tower closed in on the back part of its body, locking its tail in place. The snake stopped with a jolt as its neck passed through the gap of the other tower, which closed in as well. Terrato was now trapped on the castle.

"Son of a bitch… he's crazy, but brilliant," Edgar said in astonishment.

The esper growled and hissed, snapping at Clyde as he casually walked away from its ensnared form, sheathing his bloodstained sword. Terrato began thrashing around, shaking the entire structure violently.

"No! He'll destroy the castle!" Edgar said in horror.

"Your majesty… you've got to learn to sacrifice some things. Your castle will be gone, but your people will still be with you," said Clyde as he approached.

The engineer came running out from the front doors, joining the last group of citizens as they hurriedly rushed onboard, thousands of others piled on deck. Edgar and Clyde brought up the rear as everyone finally got to the safety of the ship, and Setzer immediately set them off into the sky, Terrato shaking apart the castle with its quake magic. As the Falcon rose, Edgar watched helplessly from the deck, staring as his old home gradually crumbled apart, the rabid esper growling at the airship.

"Edgar… don't sweat it man. You'll find a new home," said Locke, joining his friend on the starboard side.

The king nodded solemnly as the airship finally took off from the area. Everyone currently on deck was bustling with conversation. Many were just as sorrowful as Edgar as they watched their home disappear into the distance. Others were talking excitedly about the mad esper and speculating that something big was happening in the world.

"Could magic be returning?"

"No, that'd be impossible! It was all destroyed when Kefka fell!"

"You never know! This world is full of strange things like that!"

"Personally, I think these aren't the real espers and are just wild animals."

"Wild animals don't have those kinds of powers!"

"Sure they do!"

Debating continued amongst the former citizens of Figaro, who were all now homeless at the time. Meanwhile, the heroes gathered round Setzer, enjoying yet another reunion of friends.

"This certainly is a small world for you, isn't it Clyde?" asked Setzer.

"Seriously! You've met like, all of us almost!" Relm piped up.

"I suppose so," Clyde answered.

"I do not believe that is the matter at hand," Edgar interrupted.

"Oh, yes… of course. As I was saying before though, it's mighty lucky that I was flying over when I did… you looked like you were in trouble, Edgar," said Setzer.

"Agreed. But now we have to think of a game plan."

"Game plan? For what?" Locke inquired.

"We have to hunt down Tom Geeda," Clyde growled, feeling hostile every time he heard that name.

"Woah, woah, woah! No way… not another crazy adventure to catch the bad guys!" Locke said hastily.

"Don't you see what's happening, Locke?" Celes said sternly.

"These espers are being revived somehow, and they are going mad… just think of the damage that will be done when Crusader or Bahamut come around," said Strago.

"Aye… that's a scary thought," said Setzer.

"Which is why we have to prevent the problem! If we find Geeda and figure out what he's up to, we can stop him!" Clyde said agitatedly.

"First we need to go back for Sir Owzer though!" Relm exclaimed.

"Oh my, yes! We can't leave him in South Figaro!" said Strago.

Setzer nodded and turned the airship around, directing it towards the town of South Figaro, passing over the beautiful, sun-glazed ocean. He landed the Falcon not far from the borders of the town, allowing those who wanted off to do so. Clyde convinced the others to wait while he went to fetch Owzer. Along with him, many of Figaro's citizens decided to find new homes in the town.

"Don't stay down for too long, Clyde!" called Celes.

He nodded and quickly made way into the town, carefully proceeding to the north mansion, avoiding as many people as possible and ducking around the nearby guards. He finally made it inside and found Sir Owzer sitting in a chair against the wall, sleeping by the bed of the injured woman, who was still unconscious.

"Sir Owzer! Wake up!" Clyde yelled.

"Bah! What? Who's there? I swear I had nothing to do with it!" Owzer shouted with a start, waking up rather abruptly.

"Sir Owzer, we have to leave. We had trouble at Figaro Castle and thanks to Setzer's impeccable timing, we're ready to go!"

"Oh! It's you Clyde! Excellent! Grab the girl, and we're off!" the old man replied happily.

Clyde obliged and approached the bed, carefully putting his arms beneath the woman and lifting her up slowly. He carried her outside with Owzer trailing behind him carrying the very small luggage that they originally brought along, successfully covering his face. Both of them were still cautious leaving the town, however. Clyde was thankful that a great deal of people had come from the airship, providing excellent cover in the streets. Plus, the guards were all busy asking questions about what had just happened at the castle.

"So I am sure you'll relay the day's events to me in good time?" Owzer asked, his voice slightly muffled from the bags covering his face.

"Most certainly, but I feel more secure being in the air, so let's wait till we are such."

Not much longer later, they were finally all set to go and flying through the sky. Owzer was eventually told of what had happened, and was also formally introduced to those who had not met him.

"Ah, so Thomas was there, eh? Slimy bastard…" Owzer grumbled.

"Yes, and he even has magical capabilities, which makes him all the more dangerous," said Clyde.

"He's deceitful slime… and he is responsible for destroying my castle. I say we hunt him and down give him what he deserves," Edgar said hostilely.

The day continued with the Falcon flying toward no particular destination, just exploring the sky for the moment while the team discussed their next move. Some agreed to pay a visit to Doma Castle where Cyan was now the inherent ruler. Others figured it best to locate Sabin on the south continent. Celes, however, voted for finding Terra in Mobliz, stating that something might have happened to her during the madness of the espers.

"Celes has a point," said Locke.

"Yes, and Terra understands the espers… maybe she can contact them," Strago inputted.

"Let's do it!" said Relm.

"Anyone against that?" asked Setzer, looking around at his comrades.

"Mobliz it is!" said Edgar, tossing his hair in an odd, slightly feminine manner.

Everyone was well aware of the king's bumbling affections for the half-esper half-human Terra. However, given his tendency to flirt with any woman in sight, his luck with her had remained null. Edgar grinned to himself at the prospect of meeting Terra again, and the others were equally happy, but obviously in a different manner. Clyde was eager to see her again as well, especially after being informed of her apparent favor of him.

Setzer then set the course in the direction of Mobliz, his facial expression very intense at the moment. The world was changing once again, even after a few days of peace. Clyde could feel that Terrato was the least of their problems when it came to the espers. As far as he knew, Crusader and Bahamut could've been at large that very moment. Vivid images of infernal cities clouded his mind; the screaming voices of dying people accompanied such thoughts. He imagined great magical explosions annihilating everything, Thomas Geeda standing at the front of it all, leading his espers as an army.

He then thought of the poor unconscious young lady who was below deck, resting in Setzer's private room. She must've been absolutely terrified to find her home under attack by a giant bird. The damage was unforgettable in his mind, and the memory of the billowing flames remained permanent. He never would've thought that Palidor was that powerful, but it might've had help from another. Such an experience probably traumatized her forever, and she was probably lucky to be even living.

"Clyde!" yelled a voice.

"Huh? What?" Clyde said with a jolt, being broken from his concentration.

"I've called your name five times now!" said Relm.

"Oh, sorry dear… I was thinking."

"I see… well, we're about to land, just so you know."

Clyde looked around the outside, noticing that the airship was hovering over land. Nearby was the village of Mobliz, steadily being rebuilt to its original glory. Many of the houses were finally patched up and repaired, and construction had begun to expand the town. He smiled at the sight of the welcome village, remembering how bleak it used to look not too long ago. Many of the other passengers were surprised by its appearance as well, staring in amazement.

"Looks much better, doesn't it?" said Celes, noticing Clyde's gaze.

He was about to nod an affirmative. He then realized that Celes was already suspicious, trying to see how much he knew. If he said yes, that would prove that he'd seen it in its previous state before Kefka's fall, and such would only mean that he coincidentally had seen it before, or that he visited once with the original team.

"I'm sure it does, although I never saw it during Kefka's rule of the world," he answered hastily.

Celes gave a slight frown, turning her own attention to the town. Maybe he really was just Clyde after all, and nothing else. Clyde walked over to the edge, feeling rather nervous about what had just happened. The unsteady shake of the Falcon as it landed didn't help at all.

"Alright guys… all ashore!" said Setzer, setting down the ladder.


	14. Dog Eat Dog

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XIV – Dog Eat Dog**

After asking around the town for a while, the heroes eventually located their old friend, who had gone through the most trouble of anyone else throughout their first adventure together, all of it dealing with her heritage. The reunion with Terra was a happy one, and she was very glad to see all of them. Before cutting to the chase, they took a brief time to fill her in on their lives after Kefka's defeat. She was very glad to see and hear that everyone was doing well, and she explained that Mobliz was becoming prosperous with the inclusion of an orphanage for all the parentless children along with the repairing of everything else.

"I think the children are really happy now, some having even found adoptive parents," said Terra with a smile.

"That is great to hear, and I'm glad things are working out for you," Celes replied happily.

"But now we have business to speak of," Edgar cut in seriously, stepping in very close to her, which seemed to make Terra a tad uncomfortable.

"Now you hold on a minute! She still hasn't met Clyde!" Relm snapped at him.

"Oh, yes… sorry Relm," the king said sheepishly.

"Er, hello miss Terra… I am Clyde. I have heard good things about you from your friends about how loving and caring you are. It is satisfying to see that people like you still exist," Clyde said a little awkwardly.

Terra giggled and extended her hand for proper greeting.

"Well thank you. It is good to meet you Clyde. But don't refer to me as miss… just Terra will do," she said kindly, shaking his hand quickly before he took it back.

"And Sir Owzer!" Relm declared again, just as Edgar was about to speak.

"Oh yes, hello there dear. I met some of your friends a while back when they rescued Relm and I… you must've been in good company with them!" said Owzer.

"Oh yes, certainly Sir Owzer. It is good to finally meet you," Terra replied.

"And now we can get to business?" Edgar said impatiently.

"Yes, please tell me what the matter is. I could tell something wasn't right when you all came to see me at once," said Terra.

"Well, we've got a big problem on our hands…"

"You see, magic apparently still exists…"

"And so do the espers!"

"Yes, and they're going crazy! We fought Terrato only less than an hour ago!"

"And Maranda was destroyed by them too!"

"And it has something to do with Sir Owzer's paintings!"

"And we're hunting down a man named Thomas Geeda!"

"And-"

"Hey! Take it easy guys… don't bombard her with information!" Setzer interrupted.

"The espers?" Terra asked emptily.

"Yes. I had the misfortune of fighting Palidor in Mount Zozo, along with Terrato and that odd gray cat just outside of Figaro Castle," said Clyde.

"Oh my goodness… Maranda was destroyed?" she asked again.

"We need your help Terra. You have a gift, and this situation concerns you as well. You haven't felt anything odd in past few days have you?" asked Celes.

"Nothing at all… I haven't tried using any magic though."

"Well come with us so we can get to the bottom of this!" Locke exclaimed.

"I… I'd love to help you guys out again, but I have to take care of these children still!"

"Terra…" said Edgar.

"If we don't stop them, this town could very well be in danger," said Strago.

"Then go stop them… you don't need me," she answered, looking away from them all.

"Terra please!" begged Celes.

"You could speak to them!"

"We can't do this with our powers alone!"

"Your magic might have returned as well!"

"I'm sorry…" Terra sobbed, standing up from the outdoor bench that she was perched on.

They figured it best not to press the matter, no matter how frustrated they were. Edgar quickly sidled back over to her side and set his arm around her casually.

"It's ok Terra, we won't pressure you to do it, but at least consider our offer for a while, and we'll stay here overnight, then you can make a final decision in the morning," he said coolly.

"A-alright…yes, I'll consider it. In the meantime, would you guys like to see the town?"

"We'd love that!" Celes exclaimed as they followed Terra as she began walking.

"You know, if you ever need any extra funds here Terra… I could always hook you up," said Locke.

"Oh Locke, that won't be necessary, but thank you for offering."

"Hah! Extra funds… I heard you were robbing my train on the way to the castle," Edgar teased.

"It's a compulsion Edgar… and it's for the good of mankind!" Locke replied defensively.

Clyde noticed Locke giving him a slightly hostile look, obviously not very keen on him for taking his loot. But, it was a first come first serve kind of deal, and he got their first, and left first. The treasure was rightfully his.

"Over here is our new orphanage, which is due for exterior completion in a month or two," Terra explained.

"When did all of this begin?" asked Clyde.

"Oh, construction began just after Kefka's defeat. As you can tell, we only have a very small, shabby building so far… but it's a temporary establishment until they finish the rather large building right next to it," Terra explained.

"The world seems to be so generous these days!" Owzer commented happily.

"It really is. After I got back, men were lined up to offer their services in construction."

"So you really enjoy it here?" asked Celes.

"I do. The kids seem to be enjoying their time here, and Katarin and Duane have helped me take charge of the orphanage."

"That's really good," Celes said, smiling.

They all stopped before the partially completed orphanage building, men going in and out carrying various equipment. But, one individual in particular caught Terra's eye immediately. It was a man dressed in all blue carrying a large, rectangular object covered in a cloth.

"Hey! Excuse me! What is that you have there?" she called, approaching the man.

The man stopped and looked a little confused, coming forward as the rest of the group followed Terra.

"Well, someone placed a delivery here for this, so I'm taking it to the orphanage," the man explained.

"Delivery? I was never notified, and I run the orphanage. Give it here," she demanded.

The man looked slightly worried and carefully handed her the object. Terra threw the cloth from it to reveal a fine looking portrait beneath. The canvas had a sleek black background, and painted on it was a very majestic-looking gray wolf, its eyes appearing to look straight at them.

"What the… Fenrir?" Terra said confusedly.

Without warning, Clyde pushed his way past the others, snatching the painting from Terra's hands and quickly breaking it over his knee, then throwing its pieces to the ground.

"Ah! Clyde! What are you doing?" Terra shrieked.

"Sorry Miss Terra… it's a necessary precaution," he explained.

"You psycho! Somebody needs to lock you up or something!" Edgar shouted.

"He's right though! That's Thomas' painting!" Owzer said hastily.

"Thomas? The Thomas Geeda you referred to earlier painted this?" Terra inquired.

"Yes! He painted all of the espers and somehow they're back to life and going crazy!" said Relm.

"This is-"

A hideously loud scream cut Clyde off. They all turned to see several children come running out of the temporary orphanage building, the familiar faces of Duane and Katarin, the only remaining young adults from Mobliz's previous state, following.

"Terra! Help us!" screamed a little boy as he ran over and clung to her legs.

"W-what's happening?" she asked worriedly.

"Terra! It's a monster!" yelled Duane, holding his very own infant child in his arms closely.

Out of the open doorway came a low growl, followed by the emergence of gray, furry paws. Out of the darkness came a larger-than-average wolf, its teeth barred in a snarling grimace.

"No… that's not…Fenrir?" Terra stammered.

"You better believe it…" Locke said, drawing his dagger.

"Terra, take the children and go find safety," said Celes.

"Sir Owzer, go with her," said Clyde.

Terra nodded and quietly beckoned the children to come to her. Along with Owzer, they followed her away from the group. The nearby workers had all halted their jobs, some feeling brave enough to approach with their tools handy.

"Come on dear," said Strago, attempting to pull Relm away.

"Grandpa… we have to stay with them!"

"We can't fight it though!"

Fenrir let out a loud roar, edging closer to the group, looking around at the other approaching men.

"Hey! Stop moving!" Edgar called to them, but none would listen.

The group carefully drew out the rest of their weapons, keeping their eyes locked onto the approaching esper.

"Ah!" screamed Terra.

They whirled around to see Terra and the children stepping away from yet another wolf completely identical to Fenrir. Then, another growl turned their attention to yet _another_ wolf looking the very same.

"You have got to be kidding…" Setzer said in shock, his famous triplet of fixed dice held loosely in his left hand.

"Fenrir's magic… identical images," Celes mumbled.

"So which one is the real one?" asked Locke, looking back and forth between the three.

"GET IT!" yelled a worker.

Suddenly, all of the armed worker men leapt upon the nearest animal, and each wolf jumped cleanly away from the attack, proceeding to maul their respective attackers.

"What the… they're all real!" Edgar yelled, horrified.

"Interceptor!" called Relm, looking around for the dog.

"Huh? Where is he?" said Strago, not seeing him anywhere nearby.

"Hey!"

The Fenrir closest to the orphanage had just sunk its teeth into a man's leg when Interceptor came seemingly out of nowhere, barking and snarling. The significantly smaller dog pounced onto the wolf's back, biting into its neck ferociously. Fenrir immediately withdrew its teeth and shook Interceptor off, snapping at it with its powerful jaws.

"Interceptor! No!" Relm shouted.

The wolf was about to make a deadly bite when Clyde's foot slammed into the side of its face. It was stunned only for a moment before leaping upon him, sending him to is back. Clyde quickly held up his sword to block the esper from biting his head off, feeling its hot, smelly breath on his face as it snapped at him, crushing him with its tremendous weight.

"Ah shit!" cried Locke as the Fenrir closest to Terra and the children had latched its teeth around his left foot, almost biting through the boot.

He shook his leg like crazy while swiping his dagger at the animal's face. Edgar came rushing over with his spear, stabbing it into Fenrir's right shoulder, causing it to yelp in pain and let go of Locke. The thief quickly got to his feet and stepped back a ways as the wolf's paw came swinging around, slapping Edgar hard enough in the shoulder to knock him sideways.

Meanwhile, Terra had begun leading the children to a nearby house, filing them all inside carefully, with Owzer taking up the rear. She quickly slammed the door shut behind her as she entered and bolted it shut, the kids all huddling around her for safety and comfort.

"It's ok guys, we'll just wait it out in here!" she told them.

Outside, Clyde had gotten a quick slice on a Fenrir's leg, allowing him to get to his feet and attend the battle. The workers were being easily slaughtered, having simple and weak tools as their only weapons and no training for battle whatsoever. Only a handful remained, and they finally learned from the others' mistakes and took a run for it, leaving the heroes to battle the three, hardly wounded espers alone.

"This… is bullshit," said Locke, huddled up with the others in the center of the three wolves surrounding them in a circle, Interceptor at Relm's feet, barking wildly.

"We have to split ourselves up and fight them that way," said Edgar.

"I agree… if we fought them one at a time, the other two would attack us from behind," said Clyde.

"Celes, do you think you can do something?" asked Locke.

"My magic doesn't seem to be working right now," she said softly.

"We should've hidden in the house with Terra," Strago whispered to Relm.

"I say we go for them on 3," said Setzer.

"Who is going to fight which one though?" asked Edgar.

"Jeez… just pick one and go for it!" Setzer answered impatiently.

"But what if we all pick the same one?" Edgar quipped.

"I'm taking the one with the wounded leg," said Clyde, tapping his sword on the ground.

"I'll take the one that got my foot… that one with the bleeding shoulder!" said Locke.

"I'll help you Locke," said Edgar.

"I've got the third one then," said Setzer.

"I'll-"

Celes was cut off when all three wolves suddenly leapt for the heroes. Every one of them immediately scattered and proceeded to battle their respective attackers, Celes choosing the one Setzer had. As the fray spread, Strago and Relm quickly ran away from the battlefield, Interceptor staying behind to follow Clyde, and the stage was finally set.

Clyde and Interceptor attacked their wolf at once, Clyde slicing at it and Interceptor biting for its legs. However, despite its size and the wound to its leg, Fenrir was incredibly fast, evading each of Clyde's swipes and eventually head butting him to the ground. He was amazed at its endurance and recovery from a bleeding leg. Interceptor quickly jumped forward and bit into one of its hind legs, stopping it from jumping on Clyde like it had before. The two canines then got into a rough tumble, biting and scratching at each other mercilessly, rolling across the dirty ground of Mobliz.

Locke and Edgar started off by running around their wolf, attempting to confuse it with their skittish movement. Unfortunately, Fenrir dove for Locke first, biting his dagger hand, which caused him to drop the weapon and to scream out in pain. It didn't let go until Edgar jabbed it in the side with his spear, causing it to yelp again and this time throw its body at him, knocking him off his feet. Locke gripped his bleeding hand and gritted his teeth, running at the wolf and delivering a powerful kick to its non-wounded shoulder, sending it stumbling a bit to the side. Edgar then scrambled to his feet and attempted to grab his spear that was still stuck in the beast's body.

Celes and Setzer were busy jumping around to evade each swipe of Fenrir's deadly paws. It wasn't as violently aggressive as the other two, and seemed to be more calculating and smart. Somehow, Celes got the inkling that this was the original Fenrir esper. Setzer had attempted a few times to use his very powerful dice on it, but every shot missed it entirely, leading to his switching to an ordinary dagger similar to Locke's.

"I can't believe this is actually happening! Espers gone mad!" he said rather angrily.

Celes finally took a jab at Fenrir, barely missing its ear as it jumped to the side. Before she could even think to swipe left, it leapt on her, forcing her to the ground with a loud thud. Setzer hastily jumped onto its back, stabbing it as many times as he could before he was thrown off and attacked himself. It bit furiously into his arm, teeth breaking his skin and causing him to bleed. He yelled out in pain as he kicked wildly, trying to get the monster off.

The battle became increasingly frantic as the heroes started to get tired, and along with their injuries were becoming less useful for the fight. Interceptor had taken several bad bites and could barely move, Locke's hand hurt so badly, but fortunately he was ambidextrous. Everyone had several bruises from the hard hits of the Fenrirs, and things almost seemed lost, because no one could get a very good hit due to the wolves amazing speed.

"How the hell are we supposed to kill these things?" Edgar said furiously, swinging his spear viciously at his wolf as it approached him.

"We can do it Edgar! Just hang in there!" Celes called, blocking her wolf's paw swipes with her sword.

Clyde was running back and forth trying to dodge his Fenrir's attacks, becoming increasingly worn out and sluggish, his bare arms badly bruised and scratched now. He was starting to loose hope just like the others, looking around frantically for any saving grace. Upon catching sight of the orphanage, he saw something he liked, only able to see it for a simple glance before having to roll away from Fenrir's dive for him. Only having half a plan, he began running for the unfinished orphanage building, the wolf pursuing. He was nearly there when it jumped for him, giving him a split second to duck and let it fly over and crash into a portion of the wall.

It recovered amazingly fast and went in for another strike as he went around a loose portion of the orphanage wall, held up by thin, wooden supports. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion from his perspective. Fenrir pounced, which he narrowly dodged and received a long slash across the back from. Swinging around the corner of the wall he kicked as hard as he possibly could through every single support. He eventually broke all ten, sending the wall crashing down. The heavy bricks rained upon the unfortunate esper, and without wasting another second, Clyde mercilessly hacked away at his foe, blood flying everywhere from the vicious assault until he was absolutely positive that it lay dead, crushed and cut.

He then made his way back to the others, hardly noticing the stinging pain across his back. Locke and Edgar were busy fronting jabs at their wolf, while Celes and Setzer tiredly took hard swipes at theirs, missing every single time. The former mercenary dashed over to their assistance and took the wolf's attention. Thinking fast, Celes brought her sword down hard onto Fenrir's back, making a deep red gash. Setzer followed up with a quick stab to its closest hind leg, making its back weight fall to the ground. Clyde was about to deal the fatal blow when he was pushed back by the wolf's still flailing claws, dropping his sword in the moment. Celes quickly overcame its still fighting form and stabbed blindly as hard as she could. Fortunately, she got it right through the neck, dispatching it for good finally. Clyde carefully staggered to his feet as Setzer ran over to Locke and Edgar's assistance. Celes stayed to help Clyde.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine, go help them…" he said.

She nodded and proceeded to follow Setzer. Clyde, however, began looking around nervously, wondering where his dog had gone too. He eventually found him laying by the house that the others retreated into. Fearing the worst, he ran over as fast as he could, dropping down to his knees beside his pet.

"Interceptor!" he said in a loud whisper.

The dog opened one eye and looked up, panting very heavily. Clyde took a huge sigh and felt his heart leap knowing that his dog was all right. He could see many nasty wounds, and knew that they would have to deal with that soon, but for now… things were ok. Taking a look at the others, it seemed that they finally grew the upper hand with their numbers, ultimately overpowering the last Fenrir and slaughtering it with the sheer force of their weapons. Effortlessly, Clyde hammered his fist on the door.

"Everything is ok!" he called to them.

The bolts drew back inside and the door opened a tiny crack. Relm then came bursting out, falling to her knees as Clyde had and examining the wounded Interceptor.

"Oh Interceptor!" she cried.

"He's all right… but we'll need to fix those wounds quickly," he said exhaustedly.

Terra and the children followed Strago outside as the other four came running over, looking worse for the wear.

"Oh my goodness, I'm glad you're all ok!" Terra bawled.

"Hah! Those pesky espers would never keep us down, no ma'am!" Edgar said pridefully.

"Give it a rest, macho man… you aren't your brother," breathed Locke.

"Here, come with me and we'll see if the nurse is still around… she might've fled in the chaos though," said Terra, walking hastily over to a nearby, very small building.

Clyde very slowly stood, using the wall for support as he rose. He then followed the others as they gathered round the nurse's house, waiting for a response after Terra knocked on the door. To everyone's relief, a rosy young woman in white answered, and was surprised to see everyone standing about.

"My goodness, is the danger all gone?" the woman asked.

"Yes, Miss Angus, it's all gone… and my friends need your services," Terra explained.

"Mmm, some bad scratches I see! Well it's nothing that I can't fix, come on in!"

All the heroes except for Terra, who stayed outside with the kids and Owzer weaved their way past the children, entering the small building one-by-one, Relm coming in last with Interceptor at her side.

"What a great day this has been, eh?" Owzer chuckled, hoping to lighten up the mood a little as he smiled up at the orange, evening sky.

"Apparently…" Terra replied with an empty tone.

"I never would've imagined all of this trouble!" said the old man.

"Yes… I never expected anything of this magnitude to arise again. This is almost like the War of the Magi all over again…"

The mood fell very silent as they waited outside, the kids knocking on random doors to signify safety to all who had locked themselves up inside. However, no one wanted to go out regardless, given the carcasses of three giant wolves and many dead workers lying about in the open. Finally, the nurse's door opened once more and Terra's friends emerged with bandages all over their wounds, Setzer's arm resting in a sling.

"Damn, this still hurts!" he said, rocking it.

"Hey! Language! There are children present!" Locke scolded.

"Hey guys?" Terra stammered.

They all turned their attention to her.

"I'm going with you," she declared determinedly.

_Author's Notes: Good work so far with reviews… keep them coming though. I've already written the next chapter and it won't go up until I'm satisfied with reviews. Let's get rolling!_


	15. The Fourth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XV – The Fourth Dream**

None of them were truly surprised by Terra's change of decision. This encounter had endangered the lives of her 'children', and she now wanted to prevent something like this from happening again by dealing with the problem quickly. Everyone in Mobliz was sad to see her go, but even the children understood that she was doing it for them. The goodbyes were very heartfelt, and Duane and Katarin promised her that they would keep everything in order. Setzer also agreed to fly to New Vector first so that Terra would be able to request military assistance in the town, just in case another attack happened.

"Alright, we all set? Next stop, New Vector!" said Setzer aboard the airship, looking very much unlike himself with a sling and bandages all over his face.

Everyone else took his or her time wisely to rest below deck. Each of them felt only slightly better from the nurse's help, given that nothing would be able to cure their bodily aches except for maybe a good cure spell, but nobody's magic worked at the time… and Mobliz had yet to fund an item shop for potions.

"I should've thought to grab my bag before we left the castle," moaned Edgar from his bed.

"Edgar… just don't talk… I need a nap," Locke grumbled.

Clyde couldn't agree more. The three of them rested in one of the many small private rooms of the airship that weren't usually accessible until Setzer finally broke through the locked door that led to them days ago. He contently lay in the bed, arms relaxed across his stomach. The feeling and sound of his own breathing was soothing. Soon enough, it became so soothing that he fell right asleep.

Once again in the world of sleep, Clyde found himself standing atop a lonely mountain, the wind blowing harshly. He could see around the land for miles, and the sky was cloudy and blue. The summit of the mountain was rather small, and he could see over the edge from his current standing position. From what he could tell, the mountain was like an earthen spire, rising up like a needle.

"Clyde…" whispered a voice.

He whirled around to find nothing, only the empty mountaintop.

"Clyde…" it whispered again.

Clyde looked around hopelessly and frantically, wondering who or what was calling his name.

"What do you want?" he yelled out.

"I want nothing…" the same voice said.

"Then why am I here?" Clyde asked.

"Because, you are being warned…this mountain is an omen of your death," the voice replied.

"You do not frighten me!" he shouted.

"I do not expect to… but you best watch yourself, for your troubles will only become much more difficult. Giant snakes and wolves are nothing compared to what is to come! Keep your wits about you, Clyde… one mistake could be your last mistake."

Clyde was about to reply when a powerful blast of wind shoved him backwards, sending him over the edge of the mountain. He screamed as he fell, the ground coming closer and closer at high speed. Just before he hit the ground, all became black for a moment… then color appeared, and muffled voices. Suddenly he opened his eyes wide, sitting up from the bed.

"Dammit… what do these dreams mean?" he said, frustrated.

Looking to the side, he noticed Locke and Edgar were gone, and voices seemed to be coming from above, most likely on deck. He threw his legs over the side and stood from the bed, trudging over to the door wearily, shaking his head to clear out his thoughts.

"A mountain… what was that mountain?" he said to himself before opening the door and proceeding through the airship up to the main deck.

Upon passing through the inner airship, Clyde saw many of the Figaro citizens lounging around happily, conversing with each other, sleeping, or just sitting around and musing. He wasn't totally appreciative of the noise, as he always preferred silence, but seeing such jolly people after going through what they just did made him smile. He didn't stay long, however, and swiftly made way up top. Once on deck, he saw the most beautiful twilight sky he'd seen in a while. The tiny orange glow of the sun on the horizon was a favorable contrast to the dark blue hue of the remaining sky, many stars and the moon already becoming visible.

"Ah, there's the sleepy-head!" Relm said from afar.

Clyde turned to see the little girl sitting with Interceptor at the bow of the vessel, waving playfully at him. He smiled to acknowledge her, and then went on to view the rest of the deck. Setzer was busy piloting, his white hair blowing freely in the wind, Edgar and Strago were nowhere to be seen, and Locke and Celes were standing alone on the port side of the ship, both talking very quietly. A sudden touch to his shoulder made him jump, to which he then whirled around to see Terra standing behind him, looking rather shy.

"I wanted to thank you for being prepared earlier… had you not put us on our guard by destroying that painting, who knows what could've happened? I heard you fight brilliantly as well, and I'm grateful that you assisted in defending the town," she said quietly.

"I am always willing to help out those in need Miss Terra," he replied somewhat coyly.

"Please Clyde… just Terra."

"Sorry… Terra," he corrected.

"It's good to see that you're finally up, too," she said smiling.

"How long was I out?" he wondered.

"Quite a while, we already visited New Vector, and Locke and Edgar said they tried to wake you up but you seemed to be too deep in sleep."

"Ah yes… I suppose so."

"So, where exactly are you from? Celes says she found you wandering about Serpent Road, Setzer says he saw you leaving South Figaro, and Strago and Relm met you in Jidoor… what's your story?" she asked.

"Well, I grew up in, uh… Kohlingen," he lied.

"Kohlingen. Have you always been a warrior?"

"Not quite… I used to work with, er… my father's trading business. Doing that I got to know some good people who said I had unlimited potential. Then things just kind of took off from there. I started training when I was about fifteen, and I began wandering the world five years later."

"Interesting."

A rather awkward silence followed, both of them just standing there on the wooden deck, the Falcon calmly floating across the sky. It was a little weird for him to just make up a history on the spot. Although he'd never told her his true origins anyway, he still tried his best to get Shadow far behind him. He was just Clyde now.

"Um, where are we headed next?" he asked.

"Well, I think we're just roaming around for a while, and we'll just sleep here for the night. Then in the morning we are going to look for Sabin, Edgar's brother," she explained.

"Alright, sounds good."

They stood through yet another awkward silence before Terra finally walked over to the edge of the ship, looking out at the wondrous world below and the sky above.

"What a beautiful world we live in, you know?" she said, just as Clyde was about to walk away.

"Ah, yes… definitely very beautiful," he stuttered, walking over beside her.

"It's certainly not as green as the World of Balance was… but it definitely has its beauty. Just look at the moonlight shine on the sea!" she said dreamily.

"Indeed…"

"I often wonder what it looked like a thousand years ago… during the War of the Magi."

"I hear it was cold and bleak… as if winter shrouded the land eternally," said Clyde.

"Yes… I hear that too. If only I could speak to the espers now. If only we didn't have to destroy them before they destroyed everything else… I wish my father were here," she said softly.

"Ah, your father was an esper, correct?"

"Yes… Maduin. He even helped us while we fought Kefka, but once the statues and Kefka were destroyed… he gave me his final goodbye on the tower. What if he's been revived as well?"

"He wouldn't recognize you… they are all going mad."

"But do you think there's maybe a slight chance?"

"I don't know…"

Eventually, the horizon became dark, and nighttime enveloped the Falcon. Setzer finally landed on a small island close to the New Vector continent, the same landmass holding Tzen and Albrook, and possibly other villages that Clyde was presently unaware of. The deck cleared out quickly as all went below deck, retiring to their beds and sleeping soundly. Clyde, however, was already refreshed from his earlier nap, and opted to stay up for a while. Terra was the last one to descend as she bade him goodnight, leaving him alone in the night.

He contently sat down and propped himself up against the helm, looking out at the night sky from the sides of the ship. The view directly above was obviously blocked by the main, white-colored part of the Falcon, but the peripheral was a perfect sight of the vast ocean and the dark sky. Something about the stars let loose new relaxation that he hadn't felt in quite a while. After two days in a row of battling espers, Clyde was still exhausted to death, and actually began to enjoy the company of his old friends, despite how strange it was attempting to not be Shadow, but Clyde.

The reunion with Terra was also oddly relaxing. She was always the easiest person to talk to out of the whole group, and conversing with her again was a satisfying time, no matter how strained their silences were. However, it was still surprising news that she was apparently the most brought down about his "death". Maybe he would let her in on the secret… on who he was. He wasn't necessarily sure if that would make her happy or angry though. He was being a deceitful bastard just being near them, but it was his choice and nobody would be able to change that.

"Gah, too much thinking… I need more sleep," he growled.

And with that, he shut his eyes and almost immediately went back to sleep, sleeping under the stars, as he always preferred.

The next morning, Clyde was awakened by a heavy jolt. He rocked to the side as the airship gave an uneasy lurch forward before lifting off into the sky. Standing only inches away at the helm was Setzer, smiling down at him.

"Good morning, Clyde. Did you enjoy sleeping outside? It can be pretty nice can't it?"

"Er, yes… sure," Clyde stammered, staggering to his feet as the Falcon continued to rise.

"We'll be taking a little trip to visit Edgar's brother Sabin and see if he'll join up, then we'll be heading for Doma Castle. Is that all ok with you?"

"Well, would you mind if we took a little detour to the village of Tzen? I'd like to see somebody there," Clyde asked.

"No problem! We'll find Sabin first, then we'll get along to Tzen, alright?"

"Thank you Setzer."

Setzer nodded gratefully, beginning to set the ship on a forward course, his injured arm resting on the main guidance controls. Clyde walked away from the helm to find the others already mostly on deck. With the exception of Locke and Celes peculiarly, everyone was present including Owzer.

"Ah, you're finally awake!" said Owzer.

"Indeed. I had a pleasant sleep under the stars last night."

"Well I suppose that's nice. It's good for kids your age to get some fresher air into your lungs rather than being cooped up in the stuffy indoors all the time!"

"I'll keep that in mind Sir Owzer," he said jokingly.

"Yes! You'll probably be out-living me!"

"Right… hey Owzer, how is that girl anyway?" he asked seriously.

"Oh, I think she's doing much better now. Terra came and met her yesterday and she is finally feeling better. I don't think she has the need to walk around quite yet though."

"Well, that's good that she's all right at least."

"Hey Setzer! I think I see something on the ground below!" shouted Edgar from the stern.

Setzer quickly halted the ship in mid flight over the vast landscape. He carefully descended the Falcon low enough to make out the shapes of three chocobo riders not too far off. The airship slowly followed the earthbound trio.

"That should be him! Whew, what luck it was catching him in the early morning!" Edgar said in triumph.

"Goodness, that is Sabin?" Clyde said in fake disbelief, knowing that he never mentioned meeting Sabin Figaro.

"It is… something surprising about that?" asked Edgar, very curiously.

"I believe I've met him too!"

"What? You never said anything!" said Relm in disbelief.

"Well I obviously had no recognition of who it was at the time!" he said hastily, giving her a sort of 'shut up' glare.

"Oh yes, right…" she mumbled.

"When did you meet Sabin?" Terra asked from the side.

"On the day before I left for Serpent Road. He and I battled a behemoth!"

"You're just full of odd coincidences, aren't you?" Setzer jested.

"I suppose so…"

The Falcon eventually hailed the chocobo riders and caught their attention, leading them to stop and wait for its landing. The familiar physique of Sabin Figaro came bounding over to the ship as it set to the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother!" called Sabin.

Setzer quickly dropped the ladder down as Sabin reached the airship, climbing up with incredible speed and energy.

"Wow! Are all of us together again?" he said in surprise.

"Yes brother, and we've come to fetch you. How have you been?" said Edgar, returning the hearty hug from his younger sibling.

"I've been great! The patrols are working excellently! We've run into a few problems, and some of the soldiers haven't survived the bigger stuff… but I suppose that's the price to pay for- you!"

Sabin shot his finger out and pointed straight at Clyde, who was standing absent-mindedly in the back.

"How in the! Wow! Clyde, right?" Sabin said excitedly.

"Yes… I never would've guessed that you were _the_ Sabin Figaro!" Clyde answered with awkward enthusiasm.

"How did you guys get to find Clyde here? He helped one of my patrols fight off a real doozy of a behemoth not too long ago!"

"Well, Strago and Relm actually met him in Jidoor with Sir Owzer over there," explained Edgar.

"Woah! _The_ Owzer? That's so cool! Pleasure to meet you, man!" he said with double excitement, shaking Owzer's hand energetically.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Sir Figaro," Owzer replied with a smile.

"So what's going on anyway? I haven't heard any news from the outside, so if something big is happening, fill me in!"

"Well, brother… we have a big problem on our hands."

"Eh? What kind of problem?"

"An esper problem," said Setzer.

"Espers? What? I thought they were gone!"

"They've been revived… and they are going absolutely insane. So far, we've only really gotten rid of Stray and Fenrir… but we've had the misfortune of fighting Terrato, and Clyde fought Palidor in Mount Zozo," said Edgar.

"Holy… are you serious?"

"We need your help Sabin… we're going to round up the entire old crowd and finish the rest of them off!" Setzer said fiercely.

"But my work here…"

"Don't worry about it! Just come with us!"

"Alright brother, you're the king… let's get to it!"

The group simultaneously cheered at Sabin's enthusiasm, taking a few minutes to wait for him to tell his current patrol to head back to their base camp with particular instructions. Finally, he was onboard and ready to go as his men rode off into the distance, his chocobo following them.

"Man it is good to see you guys again though… is anyone else here right now?"

"Locke and Celes haven't come up from below deck yet, but they're here."

"Hah! So many possibilities with that…" Sabin joked.

"Kids these days," Strago and Owzer said in unison, shaking their heads.

The flight to Tzen was obviously very short, and Clyde was the first one there, not even bothering to use the ladder to get down.

"Well, he's certainly anxious, wouldn't you say?" said Setzer curiously.

"Sure… I'm going to go find Locke and Celes," said Edgar plainly, walking down below deck.

Nobody else was sure on whether to follow him or not, but it seemed that they unanimously chose to stay on board and wait for his return, knowing that he probably wouldn't be gone for too long. At the edge of the town, Clyde stopped to take a big sigh, basking in the calming atmosphere of the small village. It felt as if he had returned home from a long journey, even though he'd only been gone for a few days.

"Hey look! It's Clyde!" called a pedestrian.

Soon enough, the whole town was alert, rushing to greet their hero as he entered. He noticed many familiar faces coming by, but could not yet catch a glimpse of Rosa, who was most likely staying in her house.

"Welcome back Clyde!"

"Wow, look at those bandages!"

"You look like you've been getting some action!"

"What brings you back here?"

"Can I hold your sword?"

"Do you need help with anything?"

The people soon overwhelmed him with noisy banter, Clyde himself unable to decipher anything from it. He carefully attempted to weave his way through the crowd, hoping to reach Rosa's house safely, which was in perfect view. But with the looks of things, he might as well have been smothered by the masses.

"Please people! I'll answer your questions as soon as I visit Miss Rosa! Let me through!" he shouted.

I took a few more shouts to get through to them, and finally the crowd thinned out, making a small path for him to reach the house, voices still going wild, however. Luckily, he reached the door with no problems, and threw himself inside, smiling widely expecting Rosa to be right there to greet him.

But no one was there.

"Rosa? It's Clyde!" he called out, the muffled voices of the crowd still roaring outside.

"Rosa! Hello? Anybody home?"

A quiet creaking noise drew his attention to the hall, where only one door… the door to Rosa's room was slightly ajar. Immediately he knew something wasn't right, and he drew his sword quickly, carefully stepping down the hallway with as little sound as possible. Upon reaching the door, he kicked it open and squared himself up in the doorway; sword at the ready… but nothing was there. However, something pale on the bed caught his attention. As he neared, he immediately recognized it as a note of some kind and snatched it up to read.

_Ah, greetings Sir Clyde. It looks as if I'm smarter than you would take me for. It's an unexplainable phenomenon for me to so easily decode people's weaknesses, and I have no idea where or when I got it. However, that is hardly important to you. What is important to you is that your old lady friend is now under my special care. Now, normally I would make a certain set of demands for her return, as would any megalomaniacal genius. But, I really have nothing I want from you, because it's far too entertaining to watch you suffer at the hands of my esper friends. So fight on if you wish, you will eventually lose for good, and under no circumstances should you expect to see Miss Rosa ever again. I bid you good luck in the future, for Fenrir and Stray are hardly competent in comparison to what awaits. Although, I cannot have you bustling off at the moment, so somewhere in the time of your reading this, two of my friends would already be terrorizing your sacred village. Farewell, Sir Clyde._

_Thomas Geeda _

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted, crumpling the letter and rushing from the room, running all the way back to the front door and throwing it open.

He bolted outside to see the people looking up in a trance-like gaze, every single citizen completely silent. Clyde peered up cautiously to see a gray, floating figure hovering over the village. It was a ghastly entity draped in an ethereal cloak with gleaming white eyes visible from the hood. It had the appearance of the common personification of a ghost.

"Phantom…"

Then, a loud squeal came from the entrance, shifting everyone's attention to the massive green-skinned boar that looked exactly as it had in the painting Clyde and Owzer encountered.

"…and Shoat."

Shoat let out a hideous, screeching roar, causing the people to panic and flee for cover. The giant pig rushed forward and attempted to gore as many targets on its sharp tusks as possible. From the sky, Phantom came swooping down with a terrifying laugh, frightening everyone who saw it.

"Here we go yet again," Clyde said angrily, immediately jumping forward to confront the violent pig.

Shoat stopped to square off with the assassin, both making perfect eye contact and circling around the center of the village.

"Clyde! You fool! Don't look into its eyes!" yelled a voice.

He took heed of the advice just in time, looking away as a bright flash emanated from Shoat's eyes. Carefully, Clyde took a quick swipe, being sure to use his peripheral when attacking from the front. In his main vision, he could see the others running from the airship, Edgar already at the entrance with his spear in hand.

"We should've at least got ourselves a few potions before this!" Locke panted, stumbling into Tzen.

"Look out above!"

Phantom came screaming downward, narrowly missing the awaiting heroes as they ducked, flying through the sky like an attack jet.

"Just wonderful…" groaned Sabin.

_Author's Notes: I think people are just starting to get the hang of commenting! But keep them coming! Oh and, after the next chapter, things are going to tone down a bit with the excitement, just to give the story some breathing time from all the action that's been going on so far. But no worries, because that gives you all plenty of time to spend with the characters! Oh and, to the guy who asked: No, Baram is long gone and has nothing to do with anything that happens, except for those times when Clyde is remembering things, and that is it. _


	16. Murmurs of the Dragon

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XVI – Murmurs of the Dragon**

Edgar immediately leapt for Shoat, only to be met by a swift kick in the shoulder from one of its hind legs, sending him sprawling backwards into Locke, which in turn knocked him off his feet. Clyde and Shoat were taking turns with their strikes, both dodging each other very well. Thankfully Shoat wasn't as nimble as Fenrir, thus hindering its ability to actually leap onto its target, but with Phantom diving down from the sky periodically, the focus had to switch back and forth.

"Fira!" shouted Celes, finally able to perform her magic.

The spell caught Shoat's backside, causing it to yelp and squeal, bucking around wildly. Clyde made several attempts to get some lucky strikes in, but its wild jumping around made that near impossible.

"Here it comes again!"

Phantom came down once more, shooting out a pale-colored ball of magic that exploded on the ground, throwing back the forms of Setzer and Sabin, who had just attempted to jump in on the battle. Suddenly, the ghost esper waved its hand mysteriously, directing its fingers at the still frantic Shoat. Almost instantly, the boar disappeared.

"Ah! He's invisible now!"

Celes tried to blast it with Fira again, but had no clue where it was now until Clyde was suddenly thrown forward from a powerful smack behind him. She quickly, singed Shoat's side this time, turning it visible once more, but unfortunately making it much angrier. Clyde quickly rolled to the side to avoid the trampling hooves of the esper, having to roll yet again to evade Phantom's magic explosion, which tossed Clyde into the side of a house, hurting his back severely. Locke hastily jumped into the fray and swung his now left-handed dagger at Shoat, hoping to intimidate it… but to no avail.

"Locke! It's not working! Just stab him!" Edgar called, running forward with his spear.

Then, without warning, Shoat snapped at Locke with its teeth, turning its gaze to Celes, who accidentally made direct eye contact with it. Not wasting a second, the esper flashed its eyes again, suddenly turning Celes into complete stone.

"NO!" Locke screamed.

Phantom came soaring over, launching an explosive blast right at Celes. Locke instantly dashed forward, jumping as high as he possibly could with his back to the pale orb. The explosion pounded into his back, throwing him several feet in the air and actually past the borders of the town.

"Damn!" Setzer yelled, seeing Locke's weakened body slam into the dirt.

"Fira!" yelled a voice from behind.

Phantom turned around to a hot, orange blast of magic as Terra came running into the village. The ghost esper was knocked back a ways and stupefied for a moment. It then glared, firing a magic blast straight for her.

"Shell!" yelled yet another voice.

This time, Strago came panting into view, his hand outstretched to Terra. A bright green glow surrounded Terra, expanding into a dissolving orb before outlining her body in the same green. The explosion impacted, but did little damage and only knocked her back a few steps.

"Wow, you guys have unrealistic, yet perfect timing," said Setzer in amazement.

"It seems like we had a lot of that during the war against Kefka!" said Strago, ducking for cover as Phantom fired off another blast.

"We need to move Celes!" Setzer exclaimed, running over to her stone statue.

"Gah! My magic won't work again!" Strago cried.

Meanwhile, Edgar and Sabin were busy getting rough with Shoat. Sabin was without his trademark claws and had to resort to hard kicks and punches to get his due in. Edgar continuously poked the esper sharply with his spear, cutting it on the side several times. The angry boar finally swung its heavy head at the king, hitting him square in the groin and bringing him down to his knees.

"Aaaagh! You cheap…"

Sabin quickly leapt onto Shoat's back, wrestling around with it for a while before being bucked off the side and landing hard on the ground. A powerful hoof was nearly about to crush his face when Terra victoriously blasted the monster with her most potent Figa spell, which acted as a great fireball shooting down from the sky with great force. The power of the blow sent Shoat flying over Sabin and rolling across the ground.

"Good work Terra!" Setzer said encouragingly.

She flashed her comrade a quick smile, feeling rather satisfied with herself at the moment. However, she only had a second to snap back to reality before one of Phantom's blasts exploded right in front of her, tossing her backwards onto the hard ground. She painfully mouthed another Figa spell, aiming right for the floating esper. The final blast was a perfect shot and sent Phantom crashing down to the ground.

"He's down!"

Setzer didn't waste any time in pulling his fixed dice from his coat pocket. He shook his hand up furiously, shuffling the dice around inside. Finally, with as much strength as he could muster, he launched the three dice at Phantom, who was just rising up from the ground. The magical weapons emitted a bright flash, hitting the esper with a direct attack, which was calculated from Setzer's luck of the roll and his current strength.

"Figa!"

"Aqua Breath!"

Phantom was completely bewildered as it attempted to rise once more. It was then hammered with another powerful fire spell, and then right after with Strago's powerful blue magic water spell. Weakened, it attempted another blast, but Sabin had just then engaged his powerful blitz move, the Air Blade, which sent a sharp boomerang of wind slicing across the target. Phantom let out a strained yell, its body now ripped in half. Shakily, the esper stretched out its hand before dissipating into nothing.

"Goodness… that was eas-"

Sabin was cut off by the weight of Shoat hurling into his back, sending him face first into the ground. The solid surface broke his nose and stunned him for a moment. Rushing to his brother's aid, Edgar viciously began jabbing his spear into Shoat's thick hide. Each strike seemed to get deeper and deeper, and with the esper's weakened form, it couldn't put up much of a fight until finally it let out an odd cry, falling over on its side.

"Sabin!" the king cried, quickly lifting his brother up.

"Ow… my nose!" Sabin moaned.

Edgar let out a big sigh of relief, seeing that a broken nose was the worst his baby brother had sustained.

"Hey! Can we get a gold needle or something over here?" Strago shouted loudly, hoping anybody from the town would hear him.

The battle was very quick, and much easier to handle than the previous engagement with the Fenrirs, but it had certainly taken a much larger toll. Clyde was very badly hurt, lying on his stomach and breathing very hard. Locke was unconscious outside the town, and Celes was obviously in the worst condition, petrified into stone. Luckily, one of the citizens grew brave enough to open his door, which signaled to the rest of Tzen that the danger had passed. A sullen silence followed the arrival of the townsfolk, the heroes standing there rather awkwardly…

A short while later, everyone was administered powerful high potions, which had marvelous effects of curing their wounds from the day before. Celes was eventually turned back to normal with the use of a gold needle, the popular remedy for such an ailment. The recovery happened very fast, and soon all of them were feeling once again in tip-top form. Emotionally, however, Clyde was very disturbed at the moment. He relayed the story to his comrades after they were all patched up.

"Kidnapped? Why would he do that?" asked Celes after the heroes quietly and swiftly left the town, not bothering to stick around for any sort of thanks.

"He's doing it to taunt me," Clyde replied coldly.

They could tell that he wasn't in the best of moods right now, and obviously wanted to be left alone. Once they got on board the airship, Clyde returned to the room below deck that he shared with Locke and Edgar. Upon passing Owzer and Relm, who had stayed aboard during the conflict, he ignored their greetings and immediately went to his bed, laying there in absolute, burning frustration.

"Damn you Tom Geeda…"

He felt the ship shake, obviously lifting off at the moment. Seconds later, he could tell that they were moving forward, en route to Doma Castle, now under the rule of Cyan, the aging but very adept swordsman. This whole journey was becoming very similar to their personal war against Kefka. The world wasn't as aware of the present danger, but in good time the World of Ruin would probably become much worse. He could only imagine the destruction caused by the more powerful espers such as Bahamut and Crusader, who was actually a trio of espers acting as one.

"Damn you Tom Geeda!" he shouted again.

Above deck, the others weren't very talkative. Locke was now obsessing over Celes' health, to her slight annoyance. Edgar was staring into space. Sabin was doing push-ups. Relm was hugging Interceptor, sitting close to the stairs that led below. Strago was attempting to work out his spells to no avail. Terra was gazing out at the morning-basked world. Owzer was not present up top, but rather relaxing on the couch and conversing with the Figaro citizens. And Setzer was just steering, thinking of nothing but the future. He was beginning to wonder what the whole plot was behind the espers. He had never met Thomas Geeda, but from the way his friends talked, he was a villainous scumbag.

"99… 100!" Sabin panted, jumping to his feet, his face very red.

"Showoff…" Relm muttered.

The journey to Doma was a short one, and all of them eagerly looked out to see the improvements on the castle. The damages done by the Empire a whole year ago had been completely cleaned up, and extensions were even being added to the structure. It made them all smile to see that the estate was once again populous as it had been before.

"Gosh, all of this makes me so nostalgic!" said Sabin.

"Yeah, and it was you who brought Cyan into our group too," Edgar said with a smile.

"His swordsmanship will be very handy against those espers," said Setzer, catching agreement from the others.

"Er, should we bring Clyde along? Or do you think he needs more alone time?" asked Terra.

"I'm fine now," said Clyde as he climbed up the stairs.

The heroes were given a gracious welcome, and Cyan met them outside, dressed in very elegant attire, which didn't fit his image at all in their minds. Despite his different appearance, everyone was happy to see him, and he happy to see everyone in return.

"And this here is Clyde, a somewhat… rogue adventurer of sorts," said Edgar, gesturing to Clyde who insisted on staying in the back.

"Ah! 'Tis a pleasure to meet thee, Sir Clyde!" Cyan said politely, shaking his hand swiftly before Clyde took it back.

"Likewise, King Cyan."

"Oh don't bother with royalty titles. You are friends of my friends, thus it makes you a friend of mine. I am only Cyan to you."

"Understood."

"Do you think we could go inside and discuss a few matters?" asked Edgar, who always seemed oddly impatient just after Clyde had been introduced.

"Ah, most certainly! Let us proceed to the throne room!"

Cyan turned his heels and strutted back to the castle, the entire group following him in a short line. They passed through the entry doors and into a large courtyard surrounded by beautiful, clean water. Along the way, many smiling faces of the citizens greeted them, which emanated a very optimistic air of the castle. After passing the courtyard, they entered the castle itself into a very large room with many doors, along with beautiful and shining suits of armor set up as décor.

"The castles of this world are absolutely stunning," Clyde mused.

"Why thank you, Sir Clyde! I am very satisfied with the renovations my men and I have work dutifully on," Cyan said proudly, leading them up a small set of stairs and forward into the throne room, which was rather reminiscent of Figaro's throne room, with the exception of only one throne being present.

"Now then… please tell me of what troubles you. I can only imagine something big is going on for you to all meet like this," said the king.

"Well, we have a situation regarding the espers."

"The espers? But were they not destroyed after our battle with Kefka?" Cyan asked in surprise.

"That's what we all thought, until Strago and Relm bring Clyde to us, who apparently fought Palidor in Mount Zozo after it attacked the town of Jidoor," explained Edgar.

"And before we left Figaro, we battled Terrato and Stray!" Locke jumped in.

"And when we went to bring Terra, we were attacked by Fenrir," Setzer followed.

"And we just saved Tzen from Shoat and Phantom!" Sabin blurted.

"My goodness! The espers are becoming aggressive?" Cyan said with equal shock.

"Aggressive is hardly a way to put it… they are absolutely rabid!"

"We've taken some pretty hard hits," commented Terra.

"And it all has to do with paintings," Clyde entered.

"Paintings?"

"Just like the possessed Starlet painting of Sir Owzer of Jidoor, who is with us, by the way," said Celes.

"Who is the artist? Certainly not something of Relm's work!"

"Psh! No way!" Relm squeaked.

"Actually, the paintings are the work of a sinister fellow by the name of Thomas Geeda," said Strago.

"Thomas Geeda… wait a minute. He's the man who is building that new town north of Figaro is he not?" Cyan asked.

"That he is… and he apparently has it out for all of us, and the world," Locke growled.

"And we have to stop him," said Clyde.

Cyan grew silent for a moment, tapping his foot and looking at the floor.

"Well, your majesty? Will you help us?" asked Edgar, who felt weird referring to another as 'your majesty'.

"Oh yes, I most certainly will! Let me change into more useful attire and find my sword! Shall I meet you on the airship?"

"We'll do!" said Setzer, being the first to leave to get the airship ready for takeoff.

The others followed slowly while Cyan retired to his quarters. It wasn't at all long before he met them in his familiar blue armor with his sheathed katana sword in hand. He waved his own people goodbye, leaving his castle in the care of his trusted advisor, a very burly fellow with a mind for politics and control.

"Keep safe, your majesty!" the advisor called out as Cyan still waved from the side of the Falcon as it lifted off.

"Keep my castle safe, Klaus!" Cyan called back as the airship began to drift away.

"This is so cool! We're almost a complete team again!" Sabin said excitedly.

"Yeah. And once we get to Narshe we'll have both Mog and Umaro, giving us two more," said Setzer.

"How are we going to find Gogo though?" asked Locke, looking out at the world, almost as if he were expecting to find the mysterious entity himself.

"That's a question I've been pondering since the beginning," said Edgar.

"He didn't even tell us where he was going to. Just left in the morning," said Locke.

"Or she… that voice is hard to distinguish which, and we can only see his or her eyes through that helmet," said Celes.

"Well whatever," Locke said dismissively.

"If only Shadow were with us…" Terra said softly.

"Aye, indeed… he was a fine warrior," said Cyan.

"He didn't even explain himself before committing suicide," Setzer added.

"I can only imagine it was something very personal," spoke Celes.

This was certainly an uncomfortable moment for Clyde. His friends were talking about him right before his eyes, and it was not at all relaxing. He was about to leave when thankfully, Strago changed the subject.

"Yes, a good man. But it's no use in pitying him now. We've got more important things to worry about. Presently, I cannot stop wondering about our magic capabilities," said the old man.

"Right. What do you think the whole deal is? We _did_ destroy the statues, didn't we?" said Celes.

"As far as I'm concerned, I saw them disintegrate into nothing," said Locke.

"Yet Terra, Celes, and I can still use it to an extent?" Strago wondered.

"Well, maybe because you three are naturally gifted with it," Setzer implied.

"Possibly. Have any of you tried your old magic yet?" asked Strago.

"I tried using fire once in New Vector, but it didn't do anything," said Edgar.

"Could these statues have been reconstructed?" asked Cyan.

"With what though? They crumbled into tiny pieces and dissipated before our eyes," said Terra.

"Maybe they were decoys?" suggested Sabin.

"I don't think the espers were that worried about them," Terra replied.

"Well, it all has something to do with that Thomas Geeda creep," said Locke.

"What exactly is this Geeda guy like?" Sabin asked curiously.

"He's very dignified in his mannerisms, that's for sure," said Edgar with a hint of disgust.

"He's a psychotic madman," said Clyde.

"He even attempted to murder Sir Owzer because he and Clyde were catching on to his plot," said Strago.

Meanwhile, Owzer sat contently in a chair near the unconscious girl's bed in the room made private for her. Relm and Interceptor were his only company, both sitting in a corner.

"I promise dear, your Starlet painting is still safe," said Owzer.

"Ok… as long as you promise," Relm replied.

"Oooh…"

The three conscious inhabitants of the room snapped their attention to the girl on the bed. Her hand was reaching out, as if to grab something.

"Miss! Are you alright?" asked Owzer, getting up from his seat and approaching her by the bedside.

"Terrible… disaster. Giant bird. Hideous dragon… ooooh," the young woman moaned.

"Should I get the others?" Relm asked in haste.

"Yes! Go, my dear!" Owzer replied quickly, feeling the woman's forehead as Relm bolted out the door, leaving Interceptor sitting curiously in the corner.

"My house… the flames… bird and dragon," she muttered, still looking very unconscious.

"It'll be alright miss," he said, shaking her slightly.

The girl's eyes slowly drifted open, her hand stopping its strained groping of the air. She attempted to lift her head, but was still too weak.

"Huh? Who? Where am I?" she asked quietly.

"You are on board the Falcon, an airship, miss," Owzer replied.

"Who are you?"

"I am Owzer of Jidoor, a famous art collector. I've been taking care of you since we found you in Maranda."

"Owzer… I've heard of you. Oh my head hurts," she groaned.

"We rescued you just in time," he said.

"I remember… there were a lot of men standing around me, and some old mage cured me…"

"And then you fell unconscious as they brought you onto the boat."

The sounds of many feet came rumbling down the hallway outside, and soon everyone had come rushing into the room.

"Owzer! Relm told us the young lady is awake!" said Strago.

The woman grew wide-eyed at the sudden appearance of so many people. She was absolutely delirious right now, until four of the heroes suddenly triggered something.

"Oh my…" she said.

"Lola?" Cyan gasped.

Along with Cyan; Celes, Setzer, and Edgar were amazed. This was the very girl that Cyan had written letters to during his life in the World of Ruin before they had found him in Mount Zozo. The story went that Lola had a boyfriend who was an injured soldier living in Mobliz, when the world was known as the World of Balance. He was so badly hurt that he couldn't even write to her. So, Sabin and Cyan had helped him send various things to Lola who lived in Maranda, keeping the two lovebirds' connection. Then, when the world became scattered, the soldier had died, unbeknownst to Lola. Cyan came through Maranda and learned that she was still living with the notion that her love was alive. He then took it upon himself to write letters to her as if he were the soldier. When Celes, Edgar, and Setzer found him, Cyan finally told her the truth when they returned to Maranda. However, it worked out for the better, because she finally learned to cope with the loss of her love.

"You're the… the letter-writer," Lola whispered.

"This world just keeps getting smaller and smaller," commented Locke, who was looking back and forth between Lola and the shocked forms of his four friends.

"Art thou feeling alright, Miss Lola?" asked Cyan.

"She was murmuring," said Owzer.

"I feel so… confused," Lola cried.

"What was she saying?" Edgar asked, looking at Owzer intently.

"Something about a giant bird and a dragon along with the disaster and flames and such."

"Giant bird… Palidor," Clyde said quickly.

"Dragon though?" Strago wondered.

Strago suddenly seemed to get a notion, and he looked at Terra, who had the very same frightened look on her face. Soon, the others caught on to their senses.

"No… you don't think _all_ of the espers are alive, do you?" Sabin asked rather worriedly.

"He wouldn't have the power to do that," Locke said hopefully.

"I wouldn't put it past him. But this is definitely not good," said Celes.

"If we don't find him soon, this world will be long gone," said Terra.

"What's going on?" Lola asked again.

"Shh, don't exert yourself, miss," Cyan whispered to her.

"Setzer, we really have no time to waste. Set this thing to full throttle and get us to Narshe," Edgar said urgently.

"What if Umaro and Mog aren't there anymore?" the gambler asked.

"We look anyway."

Setzer nodded and left the room quickly, having put the Falcon in neutral gear earlier, which would make it hover in the sky so that he could leave the controls for a while. The others slowly filed out, until Clyde, Relm, Strago, Cyan, and Owzer remained. They stayed in the room with Lola, all crowded around her.

"You're safe now Lola," said Owzer.

"You are certainly in good hands," Cyan followed.

Lola smiled and shut her eyes again, obviously needed much more rest still. Within moments, the steady sounds of her breathing made it apparent that she had fallen asleep. The others quietly stood there, feeling the familiar jolt as the airship took off.

"Well, I shall return to the others and see what our plan is going to be after we leave Narshe," said Cyan, excusing himself from the room.

"Oh, I hope nowhere else has been destroyed like Maranda," said Strago, staring at the wall.

"I hope Rosa is ok. For all I know, he's fed her to one of his little pets already," Clyde growled.

"Don't worry Clyde… you'll see her again. It's hard to loose loved ones I bet, but you'll see her," Relm said soothingly, hugging him around the waist.

It was ironic that Relm said this. Clyde had almost lost her if it weren't for him being hired by the Empire one year ago. He had already lost his lover and a best friend… and now he lost the kindly old lady who had cared for him only days after he should've died. Relm's hug was very comforting though, giving him chills all over. The little girl had a strange way of making things seem better, and he felt all right for a moment, even smiling a little. This was exactly what he needed, and now he felt more confident than ever that he would help take care of Thomas Geeda.

"Thank you dear," he said quietly.

_Author's Notes: How precious, eh? You know what to do! Keep those comments rolling! Even if you don't have much to say… just say something. And for the person who said it, I don't necessarily dislike Edgar; I'm just trying to portray him in a different light, to add somewhat of a foil to Clyde's character. Clyde is an ambitious warrior who jumps right into battle and does almost whatever it takes to reach victory. Edgar is now very wary of things, and he thinks Clyde is rather overzealous. Plus, he holds a bit of a grudge against him from losing his castle. So don't worry; Edgar isn't going bad… he's just kind of a prick to Clyde. Oh, and kind of a misleading title eh? Thought you were gonna see a real dragon didn't ya! You silly people!_


	17. The Chill

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XVII – The Chill**

The Falcon was landed right outside the abandoned city of Narshe while the heroes set off into the chilly world to search for two of their remaining allies: Mog and Umaro. Locke and Celes kept close to each other, taking up the front lines with Clyde, who had intense determination in his eyes. Everyone else was in between, with Cyan taking up the rear, keeping his eyes peeled. This was the most dangerous environment they had come upon, as monsters could come out of nowhere.

"Clyde, are you sure you don't need to have some sort of jacket?" asked Terra with concern.

"I am fine, Terra. I lost my old jacket in Zozo anyway," he replied.

"You know Terra, if you ever get cold…" Edgar began to say, before his brother nudged him in the side.

"Let it go Bro," Sabin whispered.

The snow covering the streets quietly crunched beneath their feet, with nothing but the sound of chilly wind to accompany it. The only ones who were truly dressed to handle the cold were Edgar and Setzer, who were constantly in a warm outfit. Strago and Celes were nearly prepared, but their capes were far too thin to keep them very warm. The others were beginning to shiver from their lack of cover.

"Goodness, it seems unusually cold here today. I hope my armor can withstand it," said Cyan.

"Maybe we should go back for some coats," said Strago.

"It's freaking cold!" Relm whined.

Interceptor barked in agreement. Clyde halted abruptly, having just passed the inn.

"Alright, let's see what we can find on the ship then," he said.

"Bah, you can go ahead. I think I'll keep up with the mission!" Edgar said hotly.

"Edgar, we're freezing… if you don't want to go back then just wait here!" Locke snapped.

"I'll stay with him. Come on man, let's take cover in the inn," said Setzer.

The king of Figaro flashed a sort of glare at Clyde as he passed, following Setzer into the nearby building. The others carefully made their way back to the Falcon, eager to be on board once again.

"Sheesh! What's the deal with the cold lately?" Sabin wondered, following the group below deck.

"I don't know. But it definitely is colder than usual, and it's only spring!" said Locke.

Meanwhile, Edgar and Setzer stood next to the fireplace in the inn that was oddly still burning after so long.

"It sure is strange for this thing to be burning, but as long as it keeps me warm… I don't care," said Edgar, holding his hands towards the heat.

"Well, I suppose it's probably no big deal. Lots of unexplainable things happen around here," Setzer replied.

The two of them waited patiently by the fire when a knock came to the door several minutes later. They stood and approached the door; Edgar opening it quickly to find the others now bundled up in warm coats.

"Wow Sabin… I love that pink," Setzer quipped.

"You shut up. Some nice lady was kind enough to offer it to me when everyone else ran out," Sabin growled, wearing a furry, bright pink jacket.

"Let's keep moving," said Clyde, who was donned in a black leather jacket.

They finally proceeded with their journey, continuing north through the abandoned city. They were considerably warmer, but still cringed as the cold bit at their bare faces.

"Where's Interceptor?" asked Edgar, looking behind them.

"I made him stay on the Falcon. I figured it would be too cold for him," said Relm.

"You know, that dog seems to be awfully friendly now. Did you spoil it or something Relm? What would Shadow think?" Sabin joked.

"You hush, Pinky," she snapped.

Clyde grinned, knowing full well that Interceptor was in no way too soft yet. He figured Relm had just helped make him a little tamer around the present company. Still, it was hard to keep his distance from him. He and Interceptor were normally inseparable, but if he became too close to him now, they would begin to suspect something.

"It's a bit curious that we haven't seen a single monster," said Strago.

"Yes. Last time there were Garm Wolves all over these streets," Cyan noted.

"The world is changing though. Maybe this harsh cold drove them off," suggested Locke.

"Well, it does make our journey easier," Sabin commented.

"This journey has been, by no means, easy," Edgar said coldly.

"I-"

"Ahoy there!" called a voice.

The group stopped, looking around curiously for the mysterious voice.

"Hey! Up there!" shouted Sabin, pointing up to the bridge that hung over the city, leading to the mines.

Standing atop it, was none other than Thomas Geeda himself, grinning devilishly and looking very satisfied with himself.

"Geeda! You son of a bitch, where is she?" Clyde yelled ferociously.

"Sir Clyde! Language! Did I not explain that you would not be seeing her again? I promise you she is still alive, but you shouldn't fuss," Geeda replied.

"What do you want?" Edgar spat.

"This is Thomas Geeda? He's a stick! I'll break him in two!" Sabin growled, clenching his fists.

"My, my… violence. I only came to deal with some business here. If you're looking for your Yeti and Moogle friends, they aren't here. I suppose it's fortunate for them, for they'd both be dead if I had found them."

"You're a sadistic creep, Geeda…" said Celes.

"I envision myself only as a caring philanthropist who wishes to change this world," Geeda said coolly.

"The last psycho who told us that met his end at the peak of his power," said Locke.

"Bah! Kefka is nothing compared to me! I am the new power of this world! No one can stop me! Not even you!" growled the villain, growing from cool to angry within seconds.

Clyde drew his sword from its scabbard.

"I could kill you now," he snarled.

"A tempting offer, but I believe my ride is here!" Geeda taunted.

A low howl came from the east, and a great shadow cast over them. A massive, terrifying shape descended from the sky, hovering just over Thomas Geeda. It was a large, flying beast… a dark blue dragon.

"You've got to be shitting me…" said Setzer, gaping.

The monster's long tail swayed back and forth, its glowing red eyes watching each and every one of them. A deep growl emanated from its beaked snout as Thomas Geeda carefully climbed up its leg and onto its scaly back.

"Does he look familiar?" Geeda called out, mounting up on the dragon like a horse, despite his tiny size in comparison.

"That can't be…"

"Oh yes it can! And now we must leave your company, but I'm sure we'll meet again soon! You fellows deserve a break! Now! Fly Bahamut!"

Bahamut roared and took off into the sky, soaring away from Narshe in the blink of an eye. The others were frozen stiff for a moment before Clyde sheathed his sword.

"That was… that was… that was…" Sabin stuttered.

"Bahamut," Strago finished.

"This is bad news, isn't it?" Setzer said worriedly.

"Everything is bad news," Clyde said cynically.

"How are we going to be able to get rid of that thing? He's five times bigger than even Terrato!" Locke exclaimed.

"We'll have to find a way," said Edgar.

"We need some better weapons," Locke added.

"You're the one who threw Illumina away, hoping that 'some adventurous soul like me would find it some day'," Edgar answered in a mock tone.

"I didn't expect something like this to happen…" the thief grumbled.

"It's ok Locke," Celes said soothingly, rubbing his back.

"Hey! Since Mog and Umaro apparently aren't here, can we get back to the airship and get out of this cold?" Relm called from a ways away, already heading back.

"Ah! Wait my dear! Don't go off alone, you might be attacked!" Strago said hurriedly, rushing after her.

"Let's go guys," said Setzer.

They nodded and turned around, heading back to the Falcon.

"How will we find our friends now though?" asked Cyan.

"We'll track them down somehow," Edgar replied.

"What if Geeda was lying?" suggested Terra.

"Then you can go check out the mines. I'm going back to the ship!" said Sabin, walking at a brisk pace.

"Terra, I'd be glad to accompany you to the mines, if you want to check it out," said Edgar, stopping.

"Oh… well, I uh…" Terra hesitated a moment.

"I'll come too," said Clyde.

Terra immediately turned and gave him a grateful smile.

"Alright, sure," she agreed.

"I really don't-"

Setzer kicked Edgar in the shin.

"Gah!" he yelled, glaring at him.

"I'll go with you guys," said Locke.

"Then I'll go too!" Celes volunteered.

The rest of them stopped and turned to the group of five.

"You guys go on ahead. We'll be alright," said Terra.

Setzer nodded and began leading the way back, while the others turned around yet again and went back further into Narshe. Clyde took up the front, with Terra staying close to him, very aware that Edgar was attempting to be close to her in turn. Locke and Celes willingly took up the rear of the group.

"Let's hope he really was lying though," said Locke.

"Well, it's best just to make sure. You tell me he's a deceitful man, so I'm just going with that," said Terra.

"I'm sure your suspicions are well based," said Clyde.

"Do you just live on gut feelings or something, Clyde?" asked Edgar.

"Usually. I've learned that cynicism is actually very protective, because you'll always been on your guard if the worst happens. Then, you will be pleasantly surprised when it's not as bad as you imagined," he explained.

"Right…" Edgar said skeptically, rolling his eyes.

"That's an interesting way of looking at things," said Celes.

"Well, when you're a professional treasure hunter, pessimism usually means bad results, and optimism usually means mediocre results, and damn good luck means excellent results," Locke commented.

"And bad luck means you get caught in the act, eh?" said Edgar.

"It wasn't totally my fault. Some other lunatic got the stash before me anyway," Locke said in his defense, flashing a meaningful glance at Clyde.

Clyde caught the glance and figured that Locke was warming up to him now, obviously purposefully keeping his involvement with the stolen loot on the train quiet.

"You were still robbing _my_ train!"

"_Almost_ robbing!"

"Hey! Look at that!" said Terra, pointing forward.

They had just reached the steps leading up into the mine area of Narshe, and an odd blue glow emanated from the gaping hole in the mountains ahead, which would lead into the caves. Clyde slowly drew his sword, Celes following suit. Locke and Edgar both withdrew small daggers, and Terra remained unarmed.

"Think it's dangerous?" asked Locke.

"Thomas Geeda was just here… I'm certain that it is," said Clyde.

The group carefully stepped forward, Clyde leading the way up the stairs, much to Edgar's chagrin. The blue light seemed to get dimmer as they got nearer, and soon enough they could see all the way through the cave. At the very end was a tiny floating crystal, hovering in the air.

"Well, that's somewhat unusual… at least, as far as unusual goes in this world," said Celes.

"I've got a bad feeling about it," said Clyde.

"You cynic…" Edgar grumbled.

They crept forward slowly, when Terra noticed an odd shadow appearing over them. She looked up and immediately ran forward, leaving the others clueless until they saw the form of a giant blue woman hovering over them.

"Shiva!" Locke yelled.

The female esper of ice screeched and swung her arms forward, sending forth a powerful blast of wind that launched everyone into the cave, sprawling. She continued to blow them across as they unsuccessfully attempted to rise, tumbling all the way down the cave. Finally, the five of them were hurled into the farthest wall, which was in a relatively small chamber. Before any could even think about standing, the opening of the chamber was suddenly filled with ice, soon forming into a thick, practically indestructible wall. Behind it was the chuckling laughter of Shiva before she disappeared.

"No!"

Clyde jumped forward and began hammering on the ice with his sword, not even scratching it with his comparably weak blade. Edgar and Locke came up and attempted to kick the wall, only ending up making their legs and feet sore.

"You can't be serious!" Edgar growled.

"It's completely solid," said Locke.

"Our magic won't work either," said Celes from behind.

The two women had tried to use their fire spells to melt the wall down, but they got no response at all. The group was now trapped in this small area of the cave with no apparent escape. The king of Figaro kicked the ice again in frustration, throwing his dagger into the wall.

"Dammit!" he screamed.

"Don't panic, Edgar… I'm sure the others will notice we've been gone for a long while," said Celes.

"Yeah, and we'll freeze to death before they get here!" Edgar growled.

"Your majesty, you shouldn't begin to worry just yet," said Clyde.

"Don't call me that!"

"Edgar! Get a hold of yourself!" Locke yelled, shaking his friend by the shoulders.

The king finally fell silent, staring at the ground blankly. Locke let go of him and looked at the ice wall for a moment, as if pondering an escape.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Celes, coming up behind him.

"Too many things. What is the deal with these espers though? How are they being controlled by a human? You'd think that would be impossible!"

"I wonder the same thing… but maybe Tom Geeda isn't human," said Terra, placing her hand against the cold ice.

"That is a possibility… I suppose. But what could he be? He looks normal on the outside," wondered Celes.

"We'll never find out if we don't get out of here," said Clyde.

"The best we can do is wait," Locke answered, slamming his palm down onto the ice.

Time very slowly passed by, and before long the five of them began to grow hungry. The cold had become more tolerable now, as their bodies were used to it for the time being. However, come nighttime, they wouldn't last for but an hour maybe. Edgar spent his time pacing back and forth, kicking up dirt on the ground. Locke and Celes were cuddled up at the back, not talking at all. Clyde had been staring at the ice wall for who knows how long, and Terra was watching him the whole time. Nothing could be heard except for the faint sound of the wind outside, howling softly through the cave. The silence nearly put Clyde to sleep, but he remained awake for the better part of an hour before dozing off while sitting up.

The former mercenary awoke abruptly, looking around frantically. He could barely see a thing, save for a faint orange glow past the blue ice barrier. For a split second he thought he'd been blinded, but then realized that it was now nighttime, and the torches of the cave still burned as they always had. After growing somewhat accustomed to the darkness, he could make out the sleeping forms of his comrades, Edgar lying face first on the ground snoring loudly, Locke and Celes propped up against the back wall leaning their heads on each other, and Terra sleeping only feet away from himself. He quietly got to his feet and approached the ice wall, the blue glowing from the flickering flames of the torches just outside the opening.

He suddenly began to feel very cold, shivering. He looked at the others and noticed that they too were shaking in their sleep. It was night and their friends still hadn't come looking for them? What was the deal? He attempted to scrape the ice with his sword, to no avail at all. Clyde was now beginning to worry that they might not make it out of this situation. This could've in fact been the end of his days right there. He was about to hurl his sword into the ice when all of a sudden; a low rumbling noise caught his ear. It became louder, and sounded like a heavy beast walking outside. He began tapping on the ice with his sword, making as much noise as he could.

"What the-?" groaned Locke, eyes opening slowly.

The others were soon stirred from their sleep at the sound of Clyde's racket, and the heavy walking from the outside that followed. A loud grunt signified that the beast was near.

"Ugah!" came a familiar outcry from the other side.

"Huh?" said Edgar, peering over to see Clyde tapping on the ice.

"Umaro!" Clyde called.

"Ooh! Me Umaro! Who there?" the big yeti called.

Noticing the others were awake, Clyde knew that he couldn't identify himself as Shadow. Luckily, Terra was awake enough to understand what was going on. She jumped to her feet and ran over to his side.

"Umaro! It's me Terra! I'm trapped in here with Locke, Celes, Edgar, and another friend of ours! Can you get us out?" she yelled.

"Lady friend Terra! Umaro help break ice! Umaro strong!"

Without warning, Umaro slammed his heavy fists into the ice, shaking it slightly and knocking Clyde and Terra back. They quickly scrambled out of the way as the loud pounding continued, the noise echoing throughout the cave. Soon, a tiny crack appeared in the ice, and with a few more hits, it became bigger and bigger before a large chunk popped out and shattered on the ground. Moments after, Umaro's big hands scraped away at the huge block of ice and broke it down until it was finally no more.

"Umaro you did it!" Terra said with glee, hugging the gentle yeti.

"We finally found you, big buddy!" Edgar exclaimed.

"Umaro happy to see friends! Why friends come here?"

"We need your help again! Where's Mog?" Locke asked.

"Mog around mountain, doing important things! Come, me take you!"

Umaro quickly took off down the cave, turning left at a passage near the front. The others sprinted after him to catch up, ignoring the biting nighttime cold and their returning hunger. They followed the giant white monster through the cave and up the mountain that was part of it. Finally, they stopped at the top of the mountain, which was originally the place where the frozen esper Tritoch was held to protect it from Kefka. The sky was a brooding, dark purple, lit brightly by the full moon.

"Where is he?" asked Edgar.

"Umaro don't know."

"Mog!" shouted Locke, looking around for their Moogle friend.

"Wow… it's r-really c-cold up here," Terra stuttered, shivering.

"Here, let me-" Edgar was cut off by a loud screech.

They all directed their attention to the side of the mountain that was part of the mines. Out of a large aperture in the rock, Setzer came flying out, landing roughly on the snowy ledge below. Following him was Cyan, then Sabin, Strago, Relm, and finally Mog, the small white moogle, all of them looking very frantic. They then dashed into the mines quickly. The hole that they came from suddenly blasted open, the angry form of Shiva shooting out.

"Oh jeez!" Locke cried.

The esper howled and pursued her targets down the mine, disappearing into the cave. Without wasting a moment, Clyde brashly bounded down the mountain, yanking his sword from its scabbard as he did so. He reached the ledge just above the path into the mines and fearlessly jumped off.

"You reckless-!" Edgar started.

Clyde hopped onto a nearby roof, running across it and jumping down to yet another roof. He descended two more rooftops before landing on the ground below, right in the middle of the city. Soon, the form of Setzer leading the others came into view, as he scrambled down the steps from the mines.

"Clyde! Go! Get back to the Falcon!" Setzer screamed.

The others at the top of the mountain ran as fast as they could through the intricate pathways to the lower reaches. They watched from afar as Shiva came screaming out of the cave, launching giant icicles at their friends.

"This is bad! This is really bad!" said Locke, leading the way.

"Aah!" screamed Mog from below, tripping over a loose stone of the street.

Shiva was upon him in seconds, screaming ferociously. Umaro saw this from the mountain and roared, bounding down the same way Clyde had, his giant feet leaving small craters in the roofs. The great yeti leapt from the last house, throwing his big body onto Shiva. The esper shrieked as she was hurled into the ground with Umaro right on her.

"Ugah!" the yeti grunted, pinning the esper down.

Clyde came running over, snatching Mog from the ground and following the others outside the city. Not long after, Locke came speeding through just as Shiva threw Umaro off her. The furious esper shot an icicle at the yeti, but it shattered against his massive forearm. He swung his fist back and threw a great punch at Shiva, sending her flying straight into the nearby inn.

"Come on Umaro!" Terra called from the city entrance while the others sprinted across the outside fields to the airship.

Umaro gave a gorilla-like grumble and ran after his comrades. Shiva flew out from the inn and pursued. Setzer had already set the airship off, hovering inches above the ground while Terra scrambled up the ladder. Umaro came bounding over with Shiva right on his heels.

"No! Don't bring her here!" Setzer cried.

"Come on Umaro!" Mog called from the side, jumping up and down wildly.

Umaro finally reached the airship and grabbed a hold of the side, practically throwing himself on board, the force actually shaking the Falcon. Setzer tried to lift off faster, but Shiva grabbed on as well, her face full of anger.

"FIGA!" Terra yelled.

Shiva looked up worriedly as the familiar red comet-like blast shot down from the sky. The spell hit her right in the face, throwing her back to the ground as the airship successfully lifted off into the sky. Setzer didn't waste a second in firing up the engines to full-throttle, flying away at high speed into the night.

"Damn that was intense!" Sabin panted, breathing heavily.

"Whew, at least we found them!" Cyan said.

"It's good to see you guys again! Kupo!" Mog said excitedly.

"Umaro happy! Friends all here!"

"Well, we've got one last stop," said Setzer.

"Where are we going?" asked Clyde.

"The Veldt."

_Author's Notes: Yay, I've reached over 1000 hits on this story! Here's a new chapter to celebrate to!_


	18. The Fifth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XVIII – The Fifth Dream**

It didn't take long at all for them to reach the very dangerous continent of the Veldt, which was home to every monster that had ever existed. Upon arrival, the group finally felt comfortable taking their coats off in the regulated temperature.

"Alright, so how are we going to do this? Just fly around and look for Gau or actually go down there and hope he comes along?" asked Edgar.

"Well, remember that he'll only come if we have three people in our party. Anything above that and he'll be too timid," said Celes.

"He might be sleeping now though, which would greatly decrease our chances of finding him, since he could be anywhere," said Clyde.

"He's got a point," said Setzer.

"Maybe we should wait till morning?" suggested Terra.

"If we do anymore waiting, other places might be destroyed! I'm surprised Shiva isn't blasting us out of the sky right now!" Edgar fumed.

"Bro! Chill, man! The espers probably need sleep too, and the same for Tom Geeda," said Sabin.

"You're right…" Edgar replied reluctantly.

"So, do we go now or wait?" asked Strago.

"I'm kinda sleepy," Relm yawned.

"We should've come here first, then gone to Narshe," said Locke.

"Hey! Nobody disagreed with my plan of going to Narshe before!" Edgar snapped.

"Edgar! Please don't be hostile… nobody is blaming you for taking us to Narshe," said Terra.

Edgar had always had a soft spot for Terra, seeming to relax almost immediately at her words. He simply nodded and turned his back to them all, looking out at the night sky.

"We should rest up. We'll be much more fit for any dangers in the morning. I'm still tired from running," said Clyde.

"Alright. I'll set us down on one of those islands to the east," said Setzer.

The Falcon flew a short ways east before descending down onto one of three small islands that bordered the Veldt landmass. The airship set down with ease, and the entire group made their leave from deck and went below. They split up accordingly into their respective areas, seeing many of the Figaro citizens already heading off for bed as well. Clyde, Locke, and Edgar entered their room quietly, simultaneously falling onto their beds weakly. Even after sleeping in the cave in Narshe, they were dead tired, and sleep came very quickly.

Clyde's subconscious now placed him before a frightening-looking castle. It was made of completely black stone, and had pointed spires all about its structure. Vicious gargoyles that were actually sculptures of the espers decorated the alcoves and ramparts all the way to the very top, which was a spiraling tower of great height. A great storm hung overhead, and lightning illuminated the eerie fortress constantly.

"Where the hell?"

Looking down at his feet, he noticed that he was standing in knee-high water all around. In every direction there was absolutely nothing in sight, and he was isolated with this giant, creepy castle standing before him. Suddenly, the two great wooden doors of the building creaked open, and out of the darkness came the six-legged horse that was in a prior dream. The animal charged him down and nearly trampled him into the ground before he leapt out of the way just in time.

"What's going on?" he shouted.

A loud crack brought his attention back to the castle. Every single esper statue cracked apart and shattered to pieces, revealing the real creatures behind the stone shell. Acting on instinct, Clyde made a run for it, just narrowly dodging another rush from the horse. Now, running across the water-covered land with a violent storm overhead and just about ever esper he'd ever seen (including ones that had never been turned into magicite before) chasing him down, he was absolutely terrified right now. The land seemed to span out forever in every direction, and the monsters behind him were getting closer and closer.

He ran and ran, his legs burning severely, heart pounding and lungs hurting. The espers growled and snarled, hunting him down in one giant mass of creatures. The pounding, splashing hooves of the wild horse could be heard above all, and it came nearer with each passing second. Suddenly, Clyde slipped on the muddy ground beneath the water, falling forward with a big splash. Behind him, the horse reared up on its back hooves, neighing loudly.

Clyde then opened his eyes with a jolt, feeling the Falcon lifting off from the ground. He looked to the side and noticed that both Locke and Edgar had gone from their beds, and realized that it was just another dream. It was peculiar how the dreams had something in common. It was as if he were being stalked and hunted in every single one, by death, no doubt. What a ridiculous premise though… to live life in fear of sleep because of death.

"Damn you sleep," he growled, climbing out of bed.

The airship made a quick flight to the center of the continent before landing yet again, surrounded by various wandering creatures. The group assembled on deck and observed the situation.

"We could just wait here all day until he comes around," said Locke.

"But that would give more time for the espers to do their work," said Clyde.

"Anyone willing to volunteer about going down?" asked Strago.

"I'll go," said Sabin.

"And I. We were the first ones to meet Gau," said Cyan.

"Excellent! Who goes with them?" Setzer asked, looking at the others.

"I'm useless without a good weapon," said Terra.

"I'll stay here then!" Edgar said quickly.

"I'm no good in the Vedlt! No way!" said Mog, dancing around in circles.

"Umaro still tired," the yeti said from the bow of the deck.

"I'll go," Clyde spoke.

"Ah, very noble of you Sir Clyde!" Cyan said happily, donning his sword to his belt.

"Well, good luck to you fellows!" said Setzer, letting the ladder down.

"Don't do anything too stupid," Edgar commented, making direct eye contact with Clyde as he began going down the ladder first.

"Good luck guys!" Celes called as the three of them cautiously began walking north, avoiding the nearby monsters.

The three of them didn't look back, their eyes focused all around them as creatures wandered by. Under normal circumstances, these beasts were very vicious, and Clyde found it peculiar that they were ignoring the three of them as if they weren't even present.

"Is it just me, or are these monsters a little too indifferent to us?" Sabin asked.

"I've noticed it to. They are quite tame in our presence," Cyan followed.

"Maybe it's the universal lack of Kefka's influence still?" Clyde suggested.

"'Tis a possibility, Sir Clyde," Cyan replied.

"Still, what happens if they suddenly turn violent on us and we're way out here? I can't even see the airship anymore!" Sabin commented, looking back.

"We have dealt with these creatures numerous times. We can handle them as necessary," said Cyan.

Soon enough, they began seeing absolutely no creatures about at all. Before, the ground was covered with packs of zombies, chimeras, and all sorts of ferocious beasts. Now there was nothing in sight for miles, but the smell of the sea told them that they were close to the northern Veldt.

"I suppose we turn back once we reach the coast?" Clyde asked.

"Seems like looking for a needle in a haystack, but that's probably all we can do," Sabin answered.

Clyde looked at the ground for a moment to see a great shadow come over them, stopping right in line with the trio. It was rather small at the moment, but it suddenly began to get bigger and bigger with each passing second. Then it finally took a slightly familiar shape, and Clyde jumped out of the way.

"Get down!" he yelled to his comrades.

Sabin and Cyan leapt forward just in time as Palidor came screeching downward, slamming into the ground with a great crash and soaring back up into the sky, cawing at its targets. Cyan and Clyde immediately drew their swords, and Sabin began bouncing on his feet, ready to fight.

"Aye! Palidor!" Cyan pointed out.

"We meet again…" Clyde growled.

The colorful bird circled around them like a vulture, snapping its beak at the air. The three men scattered about, distracting its attention between them as it slowly descended. It made eye contact with Clyde for only a split second, but the two of them seemed to lock forever in a gaze of supreme hatred. If one looked carefully, the great scar could be seen in Palidor's wing, made by Clyde's former sword.

"He's very agitated at the moment," noted Cyan.

The esper let out an ear-piercing shriek before diving back down with an overwhelming menace in its eyes. Immediately, Sabin launched his magical Air Blade at it. Palidor gracefully maneuvered right around the attack and continued its course before Cyan intervened with a well-placed blow from his sword, cutting along the bird's face, sending it sprawling across the ground. The creature's blood dripped across the desert, giving them slight sense of hope that it could at least be defeated as the others were.

"We could really use the others' help right now!" Sabin growled, jumping to the side just as Palidor's massive wing came swooping at him.

Cyan jumped forward and battled the monster for a moment, clashing his sword against its steel-like talons, barely leaving a scratch on the beast. He was nearly ready to deliver a second potent strike until he was knocked straight off his feet by the bird. Clyde came running to his rescue and stabbed Palidor's foot as it almost crushed Cyan.

"Excellent work Sir Clyde!" Cyan commended him, hastily getting to his feet and moving away from the battle for a moment to collect himself.

Sabin leapt forward, hooking his arms around the great animal's neck, attempting to wrestle it to the ground. He had no such luck and was easily thrown to the ground with a loud thud, stunning him for a moment. The two swordsmen quickly surrounded Palidor, both striking at different times to keep him off guard, but both were subsequently tossed away by his flailing wings.

"We cannot do this with just three of us!" Sabin wheezed, crawling away from Palidor's presence.

"Never give up, my friend!" Cyan replied hopefully.

"These espers become increasingly harder to battle…" Clyde mumbled to himself, keeping his eyes directly on Palidor.

"Uwaooo!" shouted a new voice.

The four combatants turned just in time to see a form quickly jump forward before Palidor was knocked over the head with a heavy rock, stupefying it momentarily. Bouncing and hollering around the battlefield was a dirty kid dressed in familiar rags with outrageously messy blonde hair.

"Gau!" Sabin and Cyan exclaimed.

"Mr. Thou!" Gau yipped.

"Finally," Clyde breathed.

Palidor let out a furious shriek, snapping at Gau with its beak, but the wild boy was far too agile for even the magically inclined esper. The team of four then took turns at taunting the beast, throwing in small hits that distracted it from the other fellows, confusing it completely. Finally, after several rounds of such a tactic, the bird had decided it was enough. With a single leap, it shot into the air and came diving down only seconds later, pummeling the earth with craters as the heroes dodged about.

"Big bird angry!" Gau shouted.

"This isn't very promising!" Sabin yelped, narrowly evading one of Palidor's attacks.

"Should we attempt to run?" Cyan wondered aloud.

"I-"

"Ooh! Big Falcon!" Gau cried out, pointing to the sky.

The three of them turned to see the airship come hurdling down, taking Palidor's focus to it. The bird cawed and soared upward, attempting to attack the intruding vessel, but hardly scraped the top of it. The four guys bounded towards the ship as it landed, and Setzer was already ready with the ladders dangling down.

"Looks like we came just in time!" said the gambler.

"Yes! Hurry on up Gau!" Sabin called from below, waiting for the feral teenager to scamper on board.

Clyde was the last one on deck just as Palidor came crashing onto the ground, running right up to the Falcon and lunging at the heroes with its huge beak.

"Back you devil!" Edgar growled, swiping madly at it with his spear.

Setzer set the ship off immediately, forcing Palidor to move and allow them to lift away. However, it was hardly defeated yet. As they took off, the violent bird pursued them into the sky. The airship was on full throttle as they cleared the Veldt, and Palidor was not far behind.

"Can't this thing go faster?!" Locke cried, looking back periodically to see the esper's progress on catching them.

"This is about as good as it gets man!" Setzer called back, maneuvering the ship in a twisting path, hoping to find some hope of shaking their pursuer.

The heroes on deck were soon crouching low to the floor, as the current of air flowing through was strong enough to knock them straight off, which would be a terrible fate at such an altitude. Then, the wind grew stronger, and Setzer had a harder time of control. The airship was slowing down.

"No! Don't slow down baby!" the pilot yelled.

"We're slowing down?!" Relm screamed.

"The wind is blowing at us! Change our course!" Celes called.

"I can't it won't-"

The Falcon gave an uneasy jolt that sent all on board flying forward a ways. Locke looked behind to see that Palidor was no longer following them. However, the ship slowed down even more and loud clanging sounds could be heard up top.

"He's on the top!" Terra said frightfully.

"Noo! We're all doomed!" Mog panicked.

"Ugah!" was all Umaro could think to say.

Without wasting a second, Clyde ran to the edge of the airship, leaning out and looking up.

"Setzer! Slow it down… a lot!" he demanded.

"What?! Why?!"

"JUST DO IT!" Clyde barked.

Setzer quickly lowered the engine power, the Falcon's velocity dropping rapidly. Clyde then stepped up onto the edge of the deck and jumped straight up, grabbing onto the railings that were part of the zeppelin-shaped engine said above. With amazing skill he pulled himself up and over onto the top of the ship, Palidor waiting for him with its claws embedded into the metal.

"He's insane!" Locke said.

"He's stupid!" Edgar retorted.

"He's very brave…" Terra noted quietly.

The others, being far less courageous, could only lean out and attempt to see up top with no avail. Setzer was very careful with his driving now, keeping the ship at a moderate pace and in a straight path.

"Come on beast! Attack me!" Clyde taunted, holding his ground firmly with the wind resistance behind him.

Palidor folded its wings back and stalked forward, cawing deeply and eyeing him with menace. This was very reminiscent of the confrontation in the cave as the two squared off. With little warning, Palidor's head snapped forward, stabbing into the metal surface. Clyde swiped at him with his sword, missing only by a hair as the bird retracted, lunging forward full force now. He was nearly knocked right over the side as the esper's body slammed into him. Fortunately, they were far enough away from the edge to avoid that. Clyde quickly slashed his blade right across Palidor's torso, making a clean, diagonal slice. The bird screamed in pain and recoiled sharply, stumbling backwards. It looked down at its wound, blood trickling down slightly. Clyde ran forward and took a leap for him, sword ready to attack. Palidor swiftly hopped up and waited as Clyde slid right beneath its talons before landing back down and pinning him solidly to the metal surface.

"Agh! Son of a bitch!" Clyde croaked, feeling crushed beneath the creature's weight.

"That did not sound good," Locke noted.

"Someone should try to get up there," Sabin suggested.

"Sabin, you're the most fit," said Setzer.

"What?!"

"And it was your idea!" Relm quipped.

Sabin found that this was hardly the best time for protest and finally jumped onto the edge of the deck as Clyde had done before, heaving himself up as speedily as possible. He arrived on top to see Palidor's open beak about ready to crush Clyde's head. The esper stopped upon his entrance and immediately lunged for him. Sabin was taken by surprise and stumbled backwards as Palidor flew right over him, soaring over the side. Sabin came right after, falling from the top and straight down. He screamed in fright, flailing his arms about as he nearly passed the whole airship. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tug on his arm as he stopped in mid-fall. He looked up to see Clyde hanging from the railings with one arm, his feet on the edge of the airship's deck, his only free arm holding up Sabin with much strain.

"Agh! A little help?!" the mercenary grunted.

The others ran to his aid right away, helping Sabin climb back up on board as Clyde stepped away for a moment, rubbing his sore arms.

"Whew! That was freaking close! I owe you my life, Clyde!" Sabin wheezed, wiping his forehead.

"Just looking out for my allies," Clyde replied rather apathetically.

"Ah! He's coming back!" Mog screamed, pointing at Palidor's terrifying form as it came straight for the airship.

"Quick Setzer! Drop altitude!" Locke called.

Setzer launched the ship into an almost vertical dive, flying straight for the ground at high speed. Palidor made a sharp turn and dove straight after them, pressing its wings up against its sides as it increased speed. The wind whistled loudly all around them as they continued their downward course.

"I can't stand on my feet!" Strago cried, sliding down the deck of the ship as their angle became steeper.

"Setzer! Pull up a bit! We're going to slide right off!" Edgar shouted over the howling wind.

Setzer complied and leveled the Falcon off just above the ocean that they were currently over, causing a great rift in the water from the intense gusts. Seconds later, the ship jolted, tossing the heroes forward and off their feet. The craft almost immediately slowed down, barely hovering over the sea with about 5 miles per hour of velocity. Palidor's talons came thrashing around the side, the bird's full body swinging around with it onto the deck. The esper took up a great deal of room, clapping its sharp beak forward. Terra, who was sprawled right next to its feet, kicked it straight in the leg. Palidor screeched and stumbled over onto the injured limb. It was about to attack back until Umaro came running over with a trembling roar, landing a hard smack to its face. The beast retaliated with a sharp jab from its free talons, knocking Umaro back. It stumbled around angrily before stopping by the edge of the airship.

"Aah! Thunga!" roared Strago.

The sky above the Falcon instantaneously rumbled deeply, the clouds turning a dark gray. Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt shot down from the sky and blasted Palidor's body. The esper screamed and fell right over the edge, twitching as it plunged into the water. The others recovered from their stunned positions and ran to the side, looking over intently. There was a slight delay before Palidor's angry face came bursting from the rippling water.

"Thunga!" Strago shouted again.

A second lightning bold came down and fried the creature one last time, the conductivity of the water finishing the job. The heroes watched breathlessly as Palidor sunk back into the ocean lifelessly. Yet another tough battle had been seen through, and one more threat to the world was diminished.

"Finally…" Clyde mumbled.

"I need a drink…" Setzer groaned.

"I'll second that," said Locke.

"Let's get out of here," Celes agreed.

"Where are we anywhere? We probably flew around the world five times with our speed…" Sabin commented.

"Awaoo! Land!" Gau exclaimed, hopping excitedly while pointing at a distant hint of a shore.

"Excellent work Gau!" Cyan said cheerfully.

Setzer tiredly trudged over to the helm and set the ship off once more, going at a leisurely pace towards the sighted land. The others just stood around quietly, all of them still catching their breath after the intense confrontation. Clyde secluded himself from everyone else and examined his injuries, spotting only a bit of bruising on his torso. He was satisfied with his work and sat contently in his spot in the corner of the deck while everyone else became attentive to the outside world, watching the sea and the clouds go by pleasantly. The blue sky was looking more promising with each minute, and even some of the people down below started coming onto the deck to enjoy themselves.

"Always so secluded?" said a voice.

Clyde looked up, slightly startled to see Owzer standing right over him.

"Usually," he replied.

"Well, whatever suits you. The bird is finally finished I heard."

"Indeed. We couldn't have done it without each other's help."

"That's excellent! I suppose you're taking well to your old comrades?" Owzer said the last sentence much softer.

"You know, I'm getting more comfortable each day. I think everything will be all right. We're going to find a town to rest in right now, so maybe I'll be able to get a little more social than normal," Clyde said hopefully.

"Dear me, let's hope so… you're such a stiff Sir Clyde!" Owzer said jovially, returning back below deck.

_Author's Notes: Holy goodness! A new chapter has finally arrived! I found the resolve to continue despite the pressures of school and so many other things going on. I couldn't leave my precious audience hanging. Hope you guys haven't been in suspense for too long!_


	19. Parental Guidance

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XIX – Parental Guidance**

Clyde sat away from the conversation, feeling a personal barrier from his friends. They were currently sitting around with their drinks, talking animatedly in the Kohlingen tavern. Looking around, Clyde noticed that the building had expanded since he last saw it, which was way back in the World of Balance. The world was surprisingly bigger all around now that he thought of it, and everywhere they went there seemed to be something new and improved. It was amazing what could be done in such little time.

"Hah! You remember that time Setzer almost got killed by his own gamble?" Sabin called out.

"Oh come off it! Those weren't even my fixed dice!" Setzer replied defensively.

"Haha, but you still nearly got the hell beaten out of you!" Locke said hysterically.

"Bah, I was doing just fine!"

"Yeah, I'm sure in some dream world we could all consider having your head nearly being swiped off by a Gigas 'just fine'!"

"Nay, do we all recall the rather frightful battle against Hidon? I do remember Sir Setzer being a little terrified at that point," commented Cyan.

"A little?! He had to change his pants!" laughed Sabin.

The others continued their noisy chat, laughing hysterically at their submission to nostalgia. Many of the incidents mentioned Clyde recalled very clearly, as he was present at the time. However, it was not difficult for him to restrain himself from making comments, for he was never much of a talker in the first place, and secrecy was still key to him.

"Sho Clyde! You don't sheem to be shaying much… what's your shtory?" slurred Sabin many minutes and a few drinks later.

"Well, my story is hardly as exciting as your tales, friends. I was raised the son of a lonely trader."

"A trader eh! That's excitin'… my daddy was a king once," Sabin giggled.

"Heh… this reminds me of the time that Sabin got a little too happy and ended up tripping over Interceptor. Luckily Shadow caught it within seconds and calmed the dog down before it devoured him," said Setzer.

"Hahahaha… doggy," said Sabin.

"I don't know which would be worse… him getting wasted after twenty ales, which he readily drinks… or him getting wasted from three," commented Locke.

"He developed tolerance at a young age," said Edgar.

Clyde was relieved that the topic of discussion had shifted away from him. It was hard enough for him to improvise his story for Terra, let alone the whole group now. A few hours later into the night, everyone decided it was time for sleep. And before the end of the night, Sabin, Locke, and Setzer were giggling like children, completely drunk off their asses. The only person who had drank as much as they was Celes… but she was a maverick at drinking due to her military experience. Obviously, this was looked upon with much scorn by Cyan and his gentlemanly ways.

The three men were hauled on board and secluded in a room to themselves, with Edgar as their babysitter. ("Just like when we were teenagers, Sabin…") The remaining team bade each other good night and retired to their quarters for another good night sleep. Clyde figured tonight would be an ok night to sleep outdoors again, and upon stepping out onto the main deck, he saw Gau curled up into a ball, snoozing against the helm of the Falcon.

"It's nice to see someone who shares my affinity for the outside," he said to himself quietly, taking up a spot right next to the stairs that led into the lower decks.

Unsure of what the next day had in store for them, Clyde sat there pondering for a moment. So far, they had defeated the likes of Fenrir, Shoat, Phantom, Stray, and Palidor… and there were so many more espers out there. He often questioned whether they would be able to defeat them all, because it was already proving a deadly task in fighting them. And, what of Rosa? Was she all right? Clyde would go mad if Geeda were to harm her, because she was the first person in a long time that he actually sought help from and she was almost like a mother to him now. Why did everything have to go so wrong?!

"Damn you Geeda!" he grumbled, hitting the deck of the ship with his fist as he tensed up.

He then relaxed after letting out a lengthy sigh, letting his back rest against the railing of the stairway. Now was not the time to worry. Now was the time to sleep and rest for the coming adventure… without sleep he would not be able to save Rosa, and that was his priority. Finally succumbing to the night, Clyde dozed off and let his back slide from the railing onto the floor of the deck. Much to his relief, the night was spent without a single dream, and Clyde liked it that way.

The next morning, Clyde awoke to the sensation of the wind passing over him, giving him a slight chill upon opening his eyes. He looked around to see that the Falcon was in flight, and many people were on deck, chatting noisily.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepy head!" cheered Relm, dancing around Clyde as he steadily become more aware.

"Morning, Relm," he muttered.

"We're heading back to Jidoor really quickly!" she informed him.

"For what business?" Clyde asked.

"Dunno!" she replied.

"Thanks," he said as he slowly got to his feet and shook away the sleep.

Look around some more, he noticed that Setzer was not at the helm, but it was Edgar who was piloting at the moment. Then he remembered that Setzer, Locke, and Sabin became a little to happy with their drinking and were probably hung over right now. It made him chuckle a little, seeing how laid back a group of world famous heroes were capable of being. It really gave them a sense of reality though, and made them just as normal as any other person. But, by no means did Clyde consider himself truly 'normal'.

"Ay, I say is that not the most beautiful creature you've ever seen?" shouted one of the citizens on board.

The others all gathered around the stern (back) of the ship and looked in amazement at the wonder down below. They were all very excited.

"What is it? A unicorn? And what's that one there?"

"They're both some sort of horse, I can tell you that!"

"Why are they so big though?"

"Wonder what they're doing?"

Clyde felt a jolt of fear when he looked down below at what the passengers found so astonishing. On the ground below, following the Falcon, was a massive, white unicorn with a deadly golden horn set on its forehead, and a smaller, gray equestrian beast with two golden antlers and a shaggy teal mane.

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted.

"What is it?" called Edgar.

"Unicorn and Kirin are following us!" came Strago's shout as he appeared from the crowd.

"Great!" Edgar yelled.

"Hey guys…" started Celes as she came up from below deck.

"ALL CITIZENS GET BELOW DECK!" Edgar ordered.

The people were somewhat startled by all of this sudden yelling, and looked at each other in utter confusion for a moment.

"Do what he says! Go below deck!" Clyde demanded, much to Edgar's chagrin.

They finally caught on and hastily shuffled down below, some of them beginning to panic at this unknown terror, and Celes had to quickly leap out of the way for them to pass, just as confused as they.

"What's going on?!" she asked.

"We're about to fight!"

Seeing Clyde and Strago looking past the back end of the airship, she ran over to see the two espers still following them. Suddenly, Edgar took the ship into a sharp dive, which knocked all of them off their feet. He leveled off as they got closer to the ground and made a speedy u-turn with the Falcon and began heading towards the espers. Moments later, Terra, Gau, and Umaro came running up to the deck.

"What is going on here?!"

"We've got company," said Celes.

"Uwaoo! Big horn!" Gau chattered, jumping up and down wildly with his finger pointing at the beasts only yards below them now.

Without so much as a warning, Edgar brought the Falcon down to an abrupt landing and immediately grabbed his nearby spear and took a great leap from the ship. He came down right upon Kirin, the monster with the antlers, and scraped its side with his weapon. Clyde followed suit at drew his sword, diving from the ship and landing in front of the path of Unicorn, who was nearly ready to impale Edgar, but was impeded by Clyde slashing at it with his sword.

"Aah!" screamed Strago, running forward with his staff flailing.

"Hold up there gramps! You're not going to make a straight leap from this thing!" called Relm, hastily setting down the rope ladders from the deck so that they could depart much more safely.

"Thunder!" the old man shouted, a quick bolt of lightning striking from the sky and hitting right on the backside of Kirin, causing it to yelp loudly.

Edgar rolled to the side just as Kirin's antlers came charging after him, and he launched a well placed jab of his spear right into its leg. The mad esper howled and kicked wildly, bucking around the dusty field in anger. Soon, Celes and Umaro rushed to Edgar's aid.

Meanwhile, Unicorn initiated somewhat of a duel with Clyde, fighting his sword with its horn, clanging against each other viciously. Clyde had the slight advantage in that his arm was more versatile than Unicorn's neck, but the esper held strength that Clyde could only dream of countering.

"Blizzard!" hollered Strago, blasting Unicorn in the side with his basic ice attack.

"Well done!" Clyde commended him.

Suddenly Unicorn's head came hurling into Clyde, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground on his back. The animal roared fiercely and reared up on its hind legs, preparing to stomp the unfortunate mercenary into nothing. Then, out of nowhere, Relm came dashing forward with a magic rod in hand. She lobbed it at the beast's underbelly and hit it square in the sternum, causing it to recoil and buck backwards, away from Clyde.

"Take that you stupid horse!" she screamed.

Clyde hastily crawled away from the esper, breathing heavily and coughing painfully, his chest bruised badly. Luckily, Gau approached the scene and took his place, leaping at the esper and beginning to wrestle it aggressively.

"Uwaoo! Bad Unicorn!"

On the other side of the battle, Kirin was tossing Umaro and Celes around like rag dolls, surprisingly resistant to the yeti's immense strength. Celes had yet to find even the opportune time to take a swing at the beast, it being so swift and knocking her aside every second.

"That's it! I didn't expect to resort to this!" Edgar growled.

Reaching into his cape, he pulled out a miniature, motor-looking device. Suddenly, the object grew into a full-sized chainsaw, rumbling and buzzing. The king dashed forward and struck Kirin all along the side, damaging the creature's thick hide. Without warning, however, the chainsaw took a straight blow from Kirin's flailing hooves, sending Edgar flying and reducing the chainsaw back to its miniature form.

"Dammit!" he shouted.

Gau bounced around the battlefield, constantly tossing stones at the bewildered Unicorn. He babbled and laughed as he continued to confuse the raging animal. However, the tides turned when Unicorn violently threw its full body weight to the ground, crushing Gau with its side and quickly recovering, leaving the wild child to curl up in pain.

"I'm coming Gau!" cried Relm.

"Relm, keep thine position!" called the unexpected voice of Cyan, who had just dropped down from the deck of the Falcon.

The gifted swordsman sprinted forward, his katana ready to strike. Just as Unicorn nearly stomped all over Gau, the esper found itself being slashed left and right by Cyan's amazing sword techniques. The repetitive attack brought the beast submissively to the ground. As Cyan finished his barrage, Clyde ran forward and delivered the fatal blow, finally defeating one of the two troublesome monsters. However, Kirin had proven far more difficult to strike, given its unexpected thrashing and charging at its enemies.

"Stop moving around!" screamed Edgar, poking his spear at the evasive creature.

Cyan stepped forward and once again unleashed his powerful sword technique… but was immediately knocked away by Kirin's powerful antlers, throwing his sword from his hands. However, this proved to be just enough of a distraction for Umaro to sneak in and pounce upon Kirin's back, wrapping his massive arms about its neck. The esper immediately threw a fit, bouncing all over the place, shaking Umaro wildly. But he held on tight, strangling the beast as it continued to fight.

"Yes! Good job Umaro!" cried Celes as she recovered from her bruises by being tossed around so easily.

"Thunga!" Strago yelled, blasting the ground right in front of Kirin, sending it crashing into the dirt, now pinned under Umaro's heavy body.

"We've got him!"

Kirin let out a strangled growl as Umaro tightened his grip, crushing the unfortunate esper's neck and finally depleting its air supply. Within moments, Kirin's head fell limp to the ground and its body relaxed. Umaro let out his joyous war cry as he dismounted, jumping up and down in victory. The others cheered along with him.

"Excellent work!" said Cyan, collecting his sword.

"Talk about intense!" sighed Relm.

"Indeed," said Clyde, wiping the filth from his sword.

The heroes hastily made their way back on board, immediately taking solace with a few potions to soothe their wounds. This battle was easier than their previous encounters, but the toll was still heavy on their stamina.

"What the hell was all that noise?!" came the voice of Sabin as he groggily stomped up the stairs.

"That was us kicking some ass!" replied Relm.

"Watch your tongue, dear!" scolded Strago.

"What's this?" Sabin said curiously.

The group simply pointed out to the side, where the visible bodies of the two fallen espers could be seen very clearly, much to Sabin's astonishment.

"Holy- MORE ESPERS? Do they ever give up?!" he cried.

"Apparently not. Next time, don't drink so much and you might be able to lend a hand," said Celes coldly.

"Words of a wise woman, brother!" added Edgar.

"Pish-posh!" Sabin retorted, returning below deck.

"Well, this was a slight delay in our trip to Jidoor. Shall we continue?" asked Cyan.

"Certainly," Edgar replied, marching over to the helm and activating the Falcon once again.

The airship gave its familiar, unpleasant jolt as it steadily became alive, lifting off a few inches from the ground. Those on deck quickly stabilized themselves as the vessel began to lift, feeling that slightly uncomfortable weightless feeling once usually experiences when rising quickly.

"Oooh, I hate that!" complained Strago.

"Oh, suck it up Gramps!"

Moments later, they finally arrived in Jidoor. This was very fortunate for the citizens of Figaro on board, because many were well connected with residents there and all departed from the Falcon for good, with Edgar's promises that he would return for them when all was safe again. Lola, the injured girl, was also left in the care of the innkeeper, leaving only the heroes to the Falcon.

"Alright! Less people!" Sabin said excitedly.

"Yeah, less people for you to piss off!" added Relm.

"Hey now, let's all be nice… besides, I don't want you people to start fighting because my head hurts," said Setzer who was lying on his back on deck while Clyde, Owzer, Strago, and Edgar were doing their business in the town.

"Setzer, you really should drink this juice… it'll clear your head right up!" said Terra, who had woken up just before they landed here, carrying a small vial filled with orange liquid.

"No! I'll be fine!" he grumbled.

In Jidoor itself, Clyde and Strago stood patiently in the entryway of Owzer's house, while Owzer himself shuffled around taking care of his personal business. Clyde remembered that the remainder of his loot from the South Figaro train was still here, but he dared not mention or access it at this time, considering that Edgar was just outside and it would certainly be awkward with that sort of thing in his possession at the time.

"Confound it all!" cried Owzer from atop the stairs.

"Are you alright Sir Owzer?" called Clyde.

"Yes, yes! Quite alright!" he assured him.

"So, what exactly is our plan after this?" Strago asked of Clyde.

"I really don't know. I suppose that's up to Setzer, now that he is awake. I would think that the Dragon's Neck Colosseum would be a good place to visit, for we could always use a bit of help, or maybe some of the espers are around that area, with all of the fighting happening."

"Mm, good idea. You should definitely run that by the grand ol' captain."

"I found it!" called Owzer, running down the stairs excitedly.

"Careful, Sir Owzer!" said Clyde as the fat man stumbled on the last step, nearly falling on his face.

"What is it you've found?" asked Strago.

"This!" he exclaimed, thrusting out his fist that held a peculiar looking paintbrush.

When everyone was finally gathered on board the Falcon once more, Owzer explained the story of the paintbrush. On the day that Thomas Geeda had delivered Owzer's paintings, one of his paintbrushes had fallen from his pocket as he left. Owzer then stored it away safely before he departed for South Figaro, and had completely forgotten about it until yesterday. This paintbrush was the one Thomas Geeda had used to paint some of the pictures, and Owzer wondered if it might have some strange properties to it.

"Let me see it!" demanded Relm, stretching out her hands.

"Relm, ask nicely," scolded Strago.

"Be patient, little one! I would hope that Terra would be the most certified to examine this object, as she has a connection to the espers that this very paintbrush may also possess!" said Owzer, holding the brush away from Relm.

Terra, who was lingering around the back of the group, timidly stepped forward. Owzer smiled as she approached, and he handed her the brush upon her arrival before him. She nodded kindly and began examining the item, looking and feeling intently for any magical presence.

"Do you see anything?!" Mog called from the floor.

"Uwaoo! Color! Gau color!" Gau babbled in the corner.

"Well?" said Edgar, stepping up close to Terra.

"I kind of feel something," she said.

The others listened intently now, leaning closer to her with watchful gazes. She was starting to feel pressured now, and tried her best to calm her nerves as she held the brush tightly, closing her yes. Then, something came to her. She heard a voice in her head, a familiar one. In the darkness of her conscience, a form appeared to her, the form of a muscular, horned man… her father Maduin.

"Terra… Terra… my daughter…" called the deep voice of Maduin.

"Father?" she said in her head.

"Terra… yes, it is I- your father."

"Father, what is happening?! The espers have gone mad!" she cried.

"My dear… we are tortured. Our minds have been warped by the powers of an unknown entity… It seeks to exploit our powers for destruction."

"But why? Why do these things happen?"

"Evil never dies… our world will never be safe… even out of the hands of Kefka. The sentient minds of my brethren and I are no longer intact and float here in this void. Our earthly forms are demented and angry!"

"Father! How can we stop it?"

"You must destroy our corporeal bodies… let us return to peace within the sanctuary of sanity. Seek out the espers, destroy us. You and your allies are our only hope for retribution."

"What will happen when your physical existence is destroyed?" asked Terra.

"Our shattered minds will repair themselves and return to our ethereal existence outside of your world," explained Maduin.

"I will succeed, Father. I will rescue your trapped minds and free you from your madness!"

"Thank you, Terra… now I leave you and hope that you will be prepared to do the right thing in our next encounter."

Terra suddenly snapped out of her trance and startled everyone in the room.

"Hey, that's a good sign!" said Sabin.

"Terra, what did you see?" Celes asked.

"We are on the right track. Our only hope is to destroy all of the espers and let them return to their peace where they do not exist in our land," Terra retold.

"What about Geeda?" added Clyde.

"I don't know about him, but I think it can only be safest to assume that he must be defeated as well."

"Alright!" cheered Setzer.

"Where should we go then?" inquired Sabin.

"Clyde and I discussed the prospect of visiting the Dragon's Neck Colosseum," said Strago.

"Great idea! We can probably recruit some worthy fighters to assist us in our valiant quest!" said Locke.

"Maybe we should check up on my castle first," Edgar interrupted.

"Well, I think Clyde's plan sounds good… _then_ we can go to Figaro," Setzer replied.

Everyone murmured their agreement, Edgar narrowing his eyes at Clyde. The group chatted excitedly as Setzer warmed up the engine once again, steadily lifting off into the sky, away from the large town of Jidoor. Their next destination would not take long, and the prospect of potential aid from other valiant warriors was very promising at the moment. However, Terra was still troubled by the vision of her father. What would happen when they ran into him mentally deranged? She only hoped that when the time came… she would know to do the right thing and put him out of his misery. Sometimes her feelings occluded her best judgment.

"Dragon's Neck, here we come!" called Setzer, the wind billowing his white hair as he took off into the blue sky.

_Author's Notes: Finally! I got something done! It's been so long since I've seen all of you! I hope I can revive this story and keep it going… school sucks, eh?_


	20. Burn and Crash

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XX – Burn and Crash**

"So, our mission is to exterminate every single esper in this world?" asked Clyde of Terra.

"Yes. My father explained that they are being corrupted by some sort of evil magic, and that their presence here is actually a mirror of that madness that we have to destroy to restore their sanity," she explained.

"Sounds complicated," said Relm.

"Bah, we've gone through worse!" Locke boasted.

"Yeah, thanks to your 'treasure hunting' habits, we had to navigate that stupid Phoenix Cave!" added Sabin.

"Oh come off it… it was with good cause!" Locke retaliated hotly.

"What about Gau? Don't you remember how long it took us to find out that he would only come when we had three people in our party?" said Edgar.

"Or, how about Cyan's dream world! Talk about confusing…" said Setzer, still piloting them towards Dragon's Neck.

"Bah, or the Phantom Train? I remember when me, Cyan, and Shadow had to run away from freaking ghosts!" Sabin said.

Suddenly, everything grew quiet on deck.

"Shadow… apart from Gogo, he's the only one not with us," said Celes solemnly.

Clyde felt a nervous shiver run down his spine. Things were becoming awkward again, and he would not be able to escape easily. He would have to force himself to sit through it.

"Man, I remember what a great help he was," said Locke.

"He was so cool! Especially when he'd just start throwing crap at monsters!" exclaimed Mog.

Clyde began to think that he should be watching what he threw now, so as to make his presence inconspicuous.

"He was a most impressive warrior. It is a shame that Kefka's Tower claimed his life," noted Cyan.

"One of the most noble souls alive," Edgar commented.

Strago, Relm, and Owzer, well aware of Clyde's discomfort, quickly ran to the side of the deck and began pointing towards their destination as it came in sight.

"There it is!" cried Relm.

"Land-ho!" Owzer called.

"We have arrived!" Strago shouted.

Clyde sighed in relief, knowing that the three of them were still keen on keeping his identity a secret, just as he was. The team dropped the subject of 'Shadow' and quickly looked out past the deck, looking to see the brilliant Colloseum…

"You've got to be kidding me…" Edgar gawked.

"Ugah!" cried Umaro.

"Bastard!" Sabin growled.

As the Falcon approached the Dragon's Neck Peninsula, the ruined Colloseum came into plain sight, smoking piles of rubble scattered all about with large scorch marks across the ground. Not a sign of life was visible.

"What is this?!" Locke said angrily, throwing the rope ladders down the side of the Falcon, not waiting for it to land before dropping down to the ground.

"Don't be so hasty!" called Strago.

"This is terrible! I hope we aren't in danger here!" said Owzer nervously.

"Be calm, Sir Owzer. You are in safe presence," Clyde assured him as he approached the edge of the deck.

"This is Geeda's doing," Edgar grumbled.

"What happened to the people and the monsters though?" asked Celes, seeing that there was no corpses anywhere… just rubble.

"Tom Geeda is a sick bastard and has a sick way of creating chaos," shouted Locke from the ground, running toward the ruined building.

Clyde, Edgar, and Strago followed him while the others remained on board to watch from a distance. Upon reaching the destruction, the smell of smoke was very intense and nearly suffocating. It was evident that this havoc had taken place within the past day.

"Did he know that we would come here?" said Strago.

"Thomas Geeda works in mysterious ways," replied a familiar voice.

The four of them turned around to see Tom Geeda himself standing atop a pile of fallen bricks.

"Son of a bitch!" roared Locke, running forward with fury.

"Flare!" shouted the villain, outstretching his open palm.

Locke was suddenly stopped in his tracks as the familiar balls of yellow light came surging into his body before he was thrown back several yards by an incredible blast of fire.

"Ugaah!" howled Umaro as he attempted to tackle Geeda from behind.

"Foolish ape!" said Thomas wickedly as he simply stepped aside and allowed Umaro to fall flat on his face.

The others (except for Owzer, of course) followed Umaro off the airship and attempted to gang up on Geeda, who was more than willing to fight them all at once. He grinned as he withdrew his sword and taunted them with his blade.

"Who wants to take the first shot?!"

"Thunga!" shouted Strago.

"Runic!" Geeda countered, quickly absorbing the powerful lightning bolt through his magical sword.

"Bullshit! Not even Celes is that fast!" Setzer growled.

"The heroes finally realize their incompetence!"

"I'll show you incompetence, you walking stick!" Sabin retorted, cracking his knuckles loudly as he advanced.

All at once, the team seemed to take their chances, charging forward with a random barrage of attacks. With little time to clear out of this attack, Geeda cast a powerful Quake spell, tossing all of them off their feet and creating a giant rift in the ground. In the midst of the chaos, he took the opportunity to snatch up the unsuspecting Relm, running away with her in his clutches.

"Aaah! No! HELP ME!" she screamed, kicking and biting at her captor.

"RELM!" screamed Clyde as he shot to his feet.

The warrior wasted no time and sprinting after his villainous rival, his face a furious sneer. Tom cast another Quake spell that caused the earth to tremor violently, creating many more apertures in the ground, which only threw Clyde off in his pursuit.

"Run, run, as fast as you can Clyde! Dare I say that two of your loved ones are in my possession now?!" Geeda taunted.

"Halt, you rogue! Unhand the lass!" hollered a gruff voice.

Emerging from a small pile of rubble was a tall, blue-armored man wielding a fearsome longsword, his torn cape billowing behind him in the sudden breeze. Geeda stopped in his tracks and held his ground against the mystery man, who looked oddly familiar to Clyde.

"Ah hah! Siegfried wishes to play the heroics as well? I should've known that you would narrowly escape my pets' destructive wrath!" he sneered.

"Sir Thomas, you are a perverse monstrosity and have defiled this world with your atrocious presence long enough!" Siegfried retaliated.

"LET ME GO!" Relm screamed.

"Very well… I will _unhand_ the lass," Geeda answered, grabbing Relm by the back of the neck and holding her just over one of the large crevices in the ground.

"NO!" yelled the group from a distance.

"AARGH!" wailed Geeda as Clyde came leaping across the large hole in the ground, throwing his fist into Geeda's face with incredible force while taking hold of Relm with his free arm and landing safely on the other side.

Thomas Geeda stumbled to the side with a bruised cheek, bowling over his right shoulder to the ground. Clyde unhanded Relm and ordered her to return to the Falcon.

"Well-placed strike sir! Let us finish off this beast!" called Siegfried, charging forward with his sword at the ready.

"Never!" Thomas yelled as he staggered to his feet.

Clyde and Siegfried swung angrily at their enemy, who parried both attacks at once with a menacing grin. The larger swordsman began hammering at him with heavy, laborious strikes, while Clyde relied on his speed and dexterity. This combination of skills was hardly able to deter Tom Geeda, however. For such an average looking man, he possessed incredible strength and speed that outmatched both of his assaulters.

"For two such formidable foes, I had hoped to expect a challenge from your swordplay. But now I see that you are nothing but mere pawns in comparison to my power!"

"That, I'll try!" Siegfried barked.

"We're coming, Clyde!" Locke called, having recovered from his unfortunate bout with Geeda's magic.

The rest of the group came rounding about the edges of the quake-altered ground, hurrying to Clyde's aid.

"Uwaoo!" Gau screeched, running forward like a monkey.

"Figa!" Celes shouted.

Thomas Geeda simply laughed when the spell failed to work, continuing his duel with the two swordsmen effortlessly.

"Short on magic are we?" came his taunt.

"Thunga!"

Peculiarly, Strago's magic failed to operate now too, despite it working just fine before.

"Mm, peculiar isn't it?" Geeda mocked, ducking beneath a wide swing of Clyde's.

"Stop playing with us!" Setzer growled.

"As you wish! Play time is over! I will let my fiery friend have his fun with you fellows!"

With that, Tom Geeda cast a quick Telepo spell and vanished from sight, leaving the heroes bewildered by the ruins of the Colloseum.

"Fiery friend? Oh no… not Ifr-"

A piercing screech suddenly blasted in their ears, echoing across the area. Then, from the sky came a terrifying shape of a bird. Unlike Palidor, however, this bird's body looked as if it were caught aflame, its massive shadow looming over the frightened group.

"No, not Ifrit… much worse," stammered Edgar.

"HOLY SHIT!" cried Sabin.

The gargantuan esper Phoenix screamed loudly, causing them all to jump.

"What is this creature?!" said Siegfried.

"Bad news, that's what it is! EVERYONE ON THE SHIP!" Setzer ordered.

As the team broke of running for the Falcon, Phoenix suddenly shot a massive fireball from its mouth, the blast hammering the ground with incredible force. The following tremor was so powerful that the ground began to break apart even more, one of the rifts streaking towards the ground beneath the Falcon.

"HURRY!" Terra cried.

Already on board the ship, Relm and Owzer were gesturing wildly for them to pick up the pace.

"Come on guys!" she called.

Gau and Sabin, being the fastest runners, reached the ship at the same time, both climbing the rope ladders like squirrels up a tree. The rest soon followed, with Siegfried, Terra, and Clyde following behind still on the ground.

"Almost there!" Clyde murmured to himself.

Phoenix let out another shriek and fired a smaller blast, one that impacted the ground right behind Terra, tossing her forward a ways where she landed face first.

"Terra!" Clyde called out, running over to her and wasting no time in picking her up entirely and running with her in his arms towards the Falcon.

"Come noble warrior! The monster is almost upon us!" said Siegfried as he reached the ladders, looking back to see the giant firebird swooping down towards them.

Clyde helped the slightly bruised Terra up to the deck when he finally reached salvation. Setzer had already engaged the engines, and he took off once Clyde finally collapsed onto the main deck.

"Everyone hold on! Full throttle!" said Setzer.

With a loud roar, the engines gave a powerful jolt before launching the airship across the sky. However, things were hardly safe when Phoenix's fireballs came soaring past the Falcon.

"He's going to blast us out of the sky!" said Cyan.

"Oh no!" cried Mog.

"I don't think so!" Setzer said defiantly, taking the Falcon into an incredibly sharp turn, which sent the heroes sliding across the deck to the right side from the inevitable inertia.

He then directed the ship to a much lower altitude, flying at high speeds just above the earth, almost touching the tops of forests with the hull of the airship. Another fireball came hurtling past them as the Falcon rounded a small mountain chain.

"Great flying, Setzer!" Celes complimented.

"Thanks!"

Suddenly, an abrupt, violent impact hammered the top of the ship, followed by a huge and fiery explosion just above the heroes' heads. Being thrown to the floor, they looked up to see the engine capsule almost completely obliterated and smoldering.

"SHIT! WE'VE BEEN HIT!"

After a loud puttering noise, the airship began rattling uncontrollably, and Setzer could no longer pilot the vessel. Smoke poured from the top of the Falcon as it began to drop to the ground at incredibly high velocity.

"ACK! I can't breath!" coughed Relm.

"WE'RE DEAD!" cried Sabin.

"Uwaoo! GAU SCARED!"

Soon, the engines were almost entirely disintegrated, only one thruster holding the ship itself in the air. Sparks began flying from the top, and the group looked in horror as the nearby ocean came closer and closer.

"Brace yourselves!" Locke shouted.

Setzer held onto the helm tightly, hoping to regain even the slightest control, but with the power supply of the ship basically vaporized, his efforts were futile. The most he could do was keep his grip and pray that they would survive the imminent crash. Edgar and Sabin huddled together protectively, holding on to the random protrusions in the deck as best they could. Celes had her arms braced around Locke, who was holding on to the base of the helm. Everyone else did their best to stay steady.

"The sea comes swiftly!" Siegfried hollered before the airship bottom skimmed the surface of the ocean, bouncing across the water like a skipping stone.

The ship eventually held to the water and tore through the sea like a massive speedboat. This reminded Clyde, Strago, Relm, and Owzer of their ferry journey to Figaro… only much more terrifying. Then, the Falcon came soaring up a nearby coast before being ejected from the sea into a mass of forest. As it collided with the trees, all of them were jettisoned to the bow before it was torn apart by the forest… and Clyde blacked out before he saw anything else.

When he came to, however, he found himself hanging over a thick tree branch, small patches of sunlight seeping through the thick leaves of the forest canopy.

"Ugh… where…"

"Clyde!" a voice cried out.

Clyde looked around frantically before locating little Mog perched on a tree right next to him.

"Mog! Are you alright?" he asked.

"My head hurts, and I lost my weapon, but I'll be ok! I haven't seen any of the others here, and I'm too scared to go down to the forest floor!"

"Why?"

Then, as if right on cue, a low grumble directed their attention to the ground below. Clyde watched carefully as a lumbering form came out of the trees before him. It was a frightening, brown tyrannosaur, sniffing around for prey. Clyde remembered this forest now, as this was the place he and his companions would train at for days on end before confronting Kefka in his tower.

"Nevermind," he whispered.

"Oooh man… I hope the others are alright. The Falcon was shredded to pieces, and I know that we're all scattered somewhere in this area," said Mog.

The monster down below stopped, looking around hungrily for whoever was making the noise, and Clyde quickly gestured for Mog to be quiet. They waited a while before the curious beast ambled away to hunt elsewhere.

"Alright Mog, let's go," he said.

"What?! I'm not goin' down there!"

"Don't worry, just climb on my back and I'll take care of getting us out alive."

Mog hesitated a moment before clambering across his branch and hopping across to Clyde, crawling up his arm and onto his shoulder.

"Ready?" asked Clyde.

"Um… sure?"

Clyde nodded and carefully made his way down the tree, putting as little weight as possible on each branch so as to not risk any injury. Crashing in the Falcon surprisingly had little effect on him at the moment and he preferred keeping it that way.

"How are we going to stop the espers now though? Our transportation is completely gone!"

"Don't worry Mog, we'll figure something out. Let's just worry about getting to safety right now."

When they finally reached the ground, Clyde was very vigilant about his surroundings, taking note of every single noise in this environment. Being caught alone with a Tyrannosaur or Brachosaur in this forest was always bad news, and it caused a few problems for the team before Kefka was defeated. He took very slight steps, bouncing back and forth past the trees with silent grace. Mog was fairly impressed with his skill, and kept a sharp eye out for trouble.

"Hey! I see light!" he whispered, pointing down a long path in the forest that led to the outside.

"Excellent work!" Clyde said with a grin, proceeding towards the exit.

In a few moments, they were only yards away from safety until a distracting rustling of the foliage stopped Clyde in his tracks. He quickly drew his sword and prepared his defense for whatever might happen. Mog gripped him tightly by the shoulder as the noise grew louder, and the sound of heavy feet accompanied it.

"Get ready to hide, Mog…"

The little moogle nodded frightfully, eyes wide at the trees around them, not knowing which way the sounds were coming from… only knowing that they were approaching quickly.

"Aaaaah!" came a scream.

All of a sudden, out of the bushes to Clyde's right came the scared form of Sabin followed by his brother Edgar.

"What are you doing just standing there Clyde?! RUN!" the Figaro brothers said in perfect unison.

Clyde hastily turned his heels and followed his allies just as a furious Brachosaur came bursting from the trees, roaring loudly. The gargantuan beast charged forward with surprising pace, its long neck weaving through the trees skillfully.

"Why do we have to do so much running?!" cried Sabin.

"Because we want to survive, that's why!" Edgar replied.

The three men continued to run blindly with the angry monster roaring behind them, its cumbersome body toppling some of the clustered trees as it gave chase. Clyde was beginning to wonder if this adventure would be anything but fleeing pursuit of dangerous creatures. Then, in a moment of considerable luck, a Tyrannosaur emerged from the forest right by the Brachosaur, clamping its jaws down on the other monster's long neck.

"YES!" cheered Mog.

The sauropod Brachosaur yelped aloud and began to struggle in the enemy theropod's grasp. While this deus ex machina ran its course, the trio of men and Mog crept away towards the edge of the forest, finally reaching the outside within a few moments, stopping in the sun-basked badlands.

"Freedom!" Sabin yelled.

They rejoiced shortly after they made some distance between them and the forest. Unfortunately, their friends were probably still inside facing just as much danger.

"Maybe we should go after the others?" Clyde suggested.

"Terra was never particularly strong by herself, she might need my help," noted Edgar.

Clyde looked at the king curiously, feeling something very peculiar inside. It was as if his heart kind of paused for a moment as if in a startling moment. What was that about? Was he bothered by Edgar being protective of Terra? Edgar caught Clyde's glance and quirked an eyebrow as Clyde quickly shifted his eyes away.

"Is it really necessary for us to throw ourselves back in there?! I was almost eaten!" said Sabin defensively.

"I see an exit!" came a voice from the forest, much to their surprise.

Soon, out of the forest came the likes of Cyan, Siegfried, and the bumbling Owzer. Following them was a triad of emerald green Tumbleweeds, infamous creatures in this part of the world.

"Sir Clyde!" cried Owzer, dashing for the safety of their group.

"Alas, our allies come swift! Let us pluck the hostility of these hasty foes!" Siegfried cheered.

"Well said, noble one! Thou hast spoken true!" Cyan replied.

"Confound it all, will you two speak normally for once?!" Sabin shouted.

"This is not the time to worry about the way we speak! Let's tear these fiends apart!" said Edgar.

Now, with a friendly hand nearby, Siegfried and Cyan wheeled around with their swords drawn, being accompanied from the sides by the Figaro brothers and Clyde. Owzer and Mog stayed out of the conflict. The powerful Tumbleweeds rolled across the ground in confusing circles, hoping to throw the heroes off. But Edgar simply revealed his famous Auto Crossbow, firing a barrage of powerful shots into the Tumbleweeds, stunning them for a moment.

"Attack!" said Siegfried.

Clyde ran forward and delivered a crippling downward slice across one, Siegfried coming just behind him and thrusting his sword straight through the brittle shell of the creature, shattering the beast to pieces and destroying it completely. Cyan unleashed his masterful Quadra Slice skill upon another unfortunate Tumbleweed, obliterating it from existence. And Sabin took care of the last, using the powerful Aura Bolt blast of light to end its life.

"Yeah! Way to go teamwork!" the bodybuilder yelled.

They all smiled at the prospects of a job well done, and Siegfried took the honor of shaking each warrior's hand.

"Noble men, I know well that an imposter of myself has dogged you heavily in the past, which is most regrettable to my reputation. But, I would like to offer my services to whatever cause you hold against Sir Thomas Geeda, for he is just as much my enemy as he is yours," he said.

"We would be honored with your presence, Sir… Siegfried, is it?" asked Clyde, playing dumb for the moment despite him remembering well the 'imposter' he, Cyan, and Sabin encountered aboard the Phantom Train.

"Indeed Sir Clyde, as would I."

"As long as I don't adopt thine way of speech, then I am- DAMMIT!" said Sabin.

"Do not fret my fellow. Let us recover our allies at the moment," suggested Cyan.

"Excellent idea! Let's go!" Edgar said quickly, taking up the front of the group and marching boldly towards the forest.

Clyde was beginning to grow annoyed by Edgar's constant charge of leadership. Truthfully, he always considered Locke to be the real leader of the group, despite his thieving hobby that required everything but the qualities for leadership. Despite this, he went along with them, following Edgar's charge submissively.

"Wait! Sir Clyde… we are defenseless!" Owzer called, standing next to Mog.

"Wait out here by the edge of the forest and hide in some bushes! Whatever you do, don't move until I come back for you!" the warrior replied.

"Hide in some bushes, jeez…" said Mog disdainfully.

"Come, little one. It is our only tactic in this scattered hour!" said the fat man, waddling over to the forest border and finding a large clump of green to take cover in.

"The things we get ourselves into… golly," Mog mumbled.

_Author's Notes: I always liked Siegfried and was disappointed that his appearances after the Phantom Train were minimal and irrelevant, imposter or not. Don't know when the next chapter will be coming, but hopefully soon! Stay tuned, lads and lasses!_


	21. The Sixth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXI – The Sixth Dream**

Now with a worthy match to any enemies that might attack, the group reentered the forest with great confidence. Edgar was practically parading himself like a soldier, shouldering his spear, standing up stiff as a board, and marching with pride.

"Eh, are you aware of how stupid you look, bro?" asked Sabin.

This comment seemed to stem the king's moment of pomposity, much to Clyde's satisfaction. For some reason now, Edgar really bothered him. Perhaps it was his snobbish attitude growing on him ever since he entered his castle. Or, maybe Edgar was jealous that Terra paid Clyde much more attention, which was beginning to annoy Clyde.

"We are fortunate that Phoenix dropped his pursuit," said Cyan.

"Dinosaurs are not much better," said Edgar.

A sudden loud roar made them jump straight into the air, the five of them immediately taking cover behind different trees. A few moments of silence passed before Clyde peeked his head around the trunk.

"It's nothing. Let's keep a move on," he said, the others following him as he took up the lead.

"As traveled of this world as my person is, I must say that I have never beheld such fearsome creatures before," Siegfried commented.

"Hah, these freaks are nothing compared to the Eight Dragons!" boasted Sabin.

"Or the mighty Behemoths," added Clyde, recalling the incident in which he was trapped inside the Cave on the Veldt by two Behemoths.

"No beast is able to stand to our might!" Cyan said proudly.

"That's right! We fear nothing!" Sabin followed up.

"Well said, brave soldiers!" Siegfried added.

Then, a hideous roar sounded right behind them, nearly blowing out their ears. Standing just above them was a snarling Tyrannosaur, a sight that made Sabin scream and dash for cover once again.

"Sabin! What are you doing?!" Edgar called, chasing after his brother.

"Wait! Don't run from-" Clyde was cut off when the beast's thick tail whipped him on the side, throwing him to the ground.

Cyan and Siegfried wasted no time in confronting the monster, hacking away at its large feet. The Tyrannosaur howled in fury, stomping around angrily. The two swordsmen quickly cleared away from it when it was more alert to their presence, watching them coldly with its bright orange eyes.

"The two siblings have disappeared. I fear that we stand little chance against this creature!" said Siegfried.

"We cannot disperse yet!" said Cyan, ducking just in time as the Tyrannosaur's tail came sweeping over his head.

As Clyde stood from the ground, the beast spotted him. The dinosaur roared hungrily and dove for his bewildered form, snapping its humongous jaws. As its knife-like teeth approached, Clyde hastily sliced his sword across its snout, causing it to recoil in a fuss.

"Clyde! The Tyrannosaur is angry! Take cover!" Cyan shouted.

Before Clyde could take his words to heart, the monster swung its heavy head forward, knocking him off his feet with a powerful impact. As he fell to the ground, the Tyrannosaur angled its neck in his direction, ready to swallow him whole. Mouth gaping wide, Clyde could feel its hot breath flooding over him. Just as it was about to devour him, Sabin Figaro's fist came flying from the side, pounding the beast in the jaw and sending it staggering away.

"Sorry about my absence, fellas!" Sabin jested.

The Tyrannosaur wheeled around in anger, ready to charge down its attacker. Luckily, Edgar came close behind his brother and fired several crossbow bolts into its scaly hide, setting it into an even more volatile state.

"The beast grows weary!" Siegfried interjected.

"Snarling and salivating doesn't indicate 'weary' to me!" said Sabin.

"Guys! Look out!" cried a small voice behind them.

The men turned around to see a brief flash of the very same Tyrannosaur in a sort of holographic image before noticing little Relm running up the path with her paintbrush in hand, waving in the air. The four veterans caught on immediately and ran for cover once again (Clyde not realizing how peculiar this was to Cyan, who knew that Clyde had never witnessed Relm's magic before), and Siegfried took a moment before he noticed that they were hiding, taking cover as well. He did this just in time as a sudden vicious tornado spawned from Relm's direction, swirling all around their area of the forest and hammering the Tyrannosaur with wind-based magic.

"Ah jeez!" said Sabin, nearly being sucked up by the Aero spell, remembering that when in close proximity the spell would damage anyone in its path no matter who the caster was.

"Ugah!" roared the familiar grunting of Umaro.

As the wind cleared, the white Yeti suddenly appeared flying across the tree branches. The Tyrannosaur was already swinging its head weakly, indicating its fatigue, and when Umaro thrust his fist into the monster's jaw with double the force of Sabin's previous strike, it succumbed to the blow and fell sideways into the trees, collapsing to the ground.

"Damn," said Siegfried in amazement.

A few seconds passed before anyone made a move, all watching the animal to be sure that it was finally finished. When all was safe again, the heroes regrouped joyously, welcoming the company of Relm and Umaro.

"Relm, have you seen any of our other comrades?" asked Edgar.

"Well, Gramps is being a little chicken-shit back there and hiding in a tree," she replied.

"Let us fetch the old man!" said Cyan.

"Ugah!" Umaro added.

Gathering their bearings, the team proceeded to follow Relm to the location of Strago. Heading a few hundred yards east, she stopped before a short tree where a red cloaked form could be seen perched on a branch, his whole body covered.

"Hey! Grandpa! We've got company!" she hollered.

Strago looked up nervously, shaking with fright until he recognized his friends.

"Oh! Clyde! Edgar! You're all alright!" he cried, immediately dropping down onto the branches one by one with his staff in hand, landing a little roughly on the ground.

"Oof!" he cried.

"Take it easy, old man!" Relm scolded.

"My, the lass doth possess a coarse tongue!" Siegfried commented, receiving a quick glare from the little girl.

"I am so glad to see you fellows!" the old mage said as he stood.

"We are glad to see you as well, sir," Clyde said happily.

"Now we just need to find Locke, Celes, Setzer, Terra, and Gau…"

"First, let's make sure that Mog and Sir Owzer are doing ok," Clyde suggested, turning around to find them.

"More delays… I'll be surprised if Terra isn't eaten by the time we find her," Edgar said impatiently.

"Put a sock in it, Your Majesty!" Sabin said hotly.

"Now siblings, let's be friendly," said Strago.

"Don't be such a prick, Edgar!" Relm interjected.

Clyde ignored them as the group began to rag on each other, following the same path they came from and finding the border of the forest once again, looking around sharply for his friends as the daylight gradually turned into the deep orange of the evening hours.

"Mog? Sir Owzer? You there?" he whispered.

No reply.

"Hmm."

He moved further along the forest edge and made his presence known, hoping to catch their attention eventually if they were still hiding.

"Come on guys, where are you?" he called out.

Clyde looked around frantically, fearing that the worst could've happened to his friends, who were vulnerable to everything without protection. Sir Owzer did not handle pressure well. He shuffled through all bushes in sight, still finding no sign of the two. Then, as he continued to search, he noticed something on the ground outside. Sitting idly in the dirt was a familiar blue bandana, and right next to it was a group of footprints leading off to the west.

"Hey Clyde! You find them yet?" called Sabin.

"No, but I found Locke's bandana I think!" he replied.

Moments later after many seconds of rustling in the trees and bushes, his companions joined him at the border and looked on as he presented the bandana and the many footprints of many different people leading away.

"Maybe Locke and the others found our friends," said Strago.

"Maybe Locke is hurt… I know he would never discard his bandana on purpose," said Edgar.

"Unless it was supposed to get our attention," said Cyan.

"I don't know if he would risk losing it by leaving it out here though," Sabin covered.

"Perhaps it is a decoy meant to deceive our eyes!" Siegfried suggested.

The others looked at him incredulously.

"Can you say 'paranoid'?" Sabin scoffed.

"We should follow the footprints," said Clyde.

"A wise plan!" Cyan agreed.

Relm and Umaro took the bold first steps on the trail, and the others began to follow. Clyde quickly grabbed Locke's bandana, but was halted by Edgar.

"Ahem. I'll take that. Locke can depend on me," he said snobbishly.

Clyde threw a look of distaste at the king and politely handed him the bandana, proceeding to follow the group after doing so. He was starting to become concerned that their clashing would ultimately lead to something worse, and as unafraid as he was of Edgar's combat skills… he was still Clyde's friend deep down, despite Clyde's claim to himself that Shadow no longer existed.

After a lengthy march through the barren wasteland of the World of Ruin, the sun slowly approaching the horizon, the footprints led to a new and remarkable sight. Where there was once a single house in the middle of this nowhere, now stood a small settlement of people with many houses. It was the beginning of a new village that the heroes never would have expected here, due to the reclusive manner of the old man that lived in the formerly lone house.

"Imagine that… a new establishment!" said Strago in wonder.

"I wonder if that crazy old geezer still lives here… oh wait- you came from Thamasa, Strago," Sabin joked.

"You are a regular comedian," Strago replied dryly.

"You jest so cleverly amongst your allies. 'Tis a sign of a healthy ensemble companionship!" Siegfried commented.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Relm asked rather poignantly.

"Relm, show some courtesy please," said Clyde.

Finding it almost shocking that Clyde would scold her like that, Relm immediately shut up. She had a great respect for him, seeing that his wisdom could easily match with that of her grandfather. Surprisingly, she saw a bit of him inside herself for some reason. Then, a familiar bark met their ears.

"Interceptor!" she cried, running towards the excited dog as it wagged its tail, standing by a small tavern.

The citizens of the establishment looked at the curious group suspiciously, eyeing their weapons and armor with distrust. The heroes merely smiled as they passed, trying to come off as relatively harmless.

"What's all the ruckus- Sir Clyde!" Owzer exclaimed as he stepped out of the tavern.

"Sir Owzer, you are alright!" Clyde said with equal enthusiasm.

"Miss Celes, our friends have arrived!" Owzer yelled back into the tavern.

Out of the doorway behind Owzer came the bright face of Celes, with Mog at her heels and Gau crawling around wildly on the floor behind her.

"Guys! It's so good to see you again!"

"Likewise, dear! It is most fortunate to see you all in good health!" said Strago.

"Hey, what about Locke?" Sabin asked.

"Oh… well, Locke is alright. But for now he is resting because he's still in a lot of pain, along with Setzer and Terra," she said seriously.

"What has happened?" asked Cyan.

"When we all fell from the Falcon, Locke, Setzer, and Terra took a very nasty spill across the trees and they were scraped and bruised pretty badly. Setzer broke his arm and Locke twisted his ankle. Fortunately I was able to perform at least one cure spell on the three of them before my magic failed, and I gave them some potion, so most of their wounds are gone but the pain remains," she explained.

"As long as we are all alive," said Edgar.

"Yes. But now I think its time for all of you to rest too. The locals have offered us this tavern exclusively for as long as we need it, so find a room and get some sleep," she said.

"A brilliant idea!" Cyan agreed.

"'Tis quite the hour for a spot of rejuvenation," Siegfried said.

"Ugah! Rest good" Umaro added.

"You said it!" said Mog, who had just appeared from behind the bar.

Sabin took the valiant first step to the second floor, where all of the lodgings were located. The floor they were presently on contained a small bar and tables, along with a small stage up against the wall for entertainments. For now, however, the building was completely empty save for the heroes.

"So, we have this tavern all for ourselves?" Clyde asked as the rest began to ascend the stairs.

"Mhm. It's very convenient for our needs at the moment," said Celes.

"Holy shit there are a lot of rooms! I call this one!" said Sabin, claiming the first room after the stairs.

"I put Locke, Setzer, and Terra in one room so the rest of you could have one for yourselves. I'll stay with them tonight to make sure they stay alright," Celes told them.

"Your kindness holds no bounds!" Cyan complimented her, taking his leave to another empty room, save for a single bed, chair, and a desk.

"I do wish you all a good evening, and I hope to arise from my fresh rest later this night," Siegfried said, bidding them goodbye and departing for another room.

Soon enough, all had found their own space and all had immediately begun to nap on their slightly uncomfortable, but bearable beds. It was still very early evening, for not a lot of time had passed since they left the forest, but all of them were exhausted still from the day's events. Clyde was very content when he could finally shut his eyes again and rest his body up from the tiresome day… and soon he began to drift away from reality and found himself once again in the world of his subconscious.

Now, Clyde stood on a hill. This hill was covered in beautiful green grass with colorful flowers all around. Before the hill was an amazing meadow… like something out of a dream. _Well, it was a dream._ The sound of birds chirping and the cool breeze passing was so peaceful to him. This was the most amazing thing he'd experienced in so long. Suddenly, a strong hand came out of nowhere and gripped his ankle, startling him greatly. He looked down in fear to see a bloody, battered body holding on to his leg tightly.

"Aah! Who are you?" he screamed.

As the person looked up, Clyde instantly recognized him despite his badly bruised and cut up face. It was his old comrade Baram, fatally wounded as he was on the last day they saw each other.

"C-Clyde… you betrayed me!" Baram's phantom gasped.

"No! I didn't mean to! I just couldn't bring myself to do it!" Clyde pleaded.

"You betrayed me! I… c-counted on you… for so long… you… betrayed me!" it stammered.

"No Baram! I swear I never meant for your end to come about so horribly!" the warrior cried.

"Why did you… betray me?! You were… my best… f-friend! We were… partners!" Baram continued.

"Baram! I was doing what I thought was right!" Clyde answered, completely defenseless in the justification of his abandoning Baram.

Baram's grip on Clyde's leg tightened greatly, causing Clyde to attempt a step backwards, but he was held firmly by his friend.

"Don't run, Clyde… I met my d-destiny. It is time you met yours… it is… time…"

Hearing the suspicious sound of a sword being unsheathed behind him, accompanied by a violent blast of wind, Clyde instinctively dipped his shoulder and threw himself to the ground in a complete body roll, retching Baram's grip from his leg and dodging the massive blade as it came whistling past, a great white blur speeding by him.

Then, Clyde woke up with a choked scream, panting and sweating in his bed, still fully armored with his sheathed sword on his belt. He looked around frantically in the pitch black darkness of the room until he realized that he was finally awake. Just another dream.

"My, you certainly have a disturbed past, Sir Clyde," said a sinister voice from the dark.

"What the..?! YOU!" Clyde roared.

Despite being unable to see, Clyde relied on his superb hearing when he leapt forward from the bed, slamming into the body of Thomas Geeda and crushing him against the wall with a loud strike.

"Argh!" Geeda grunted.

Clyde grabbed his enemy's shoulders in the dark and hurled him across the room, right into the desk and chair. He heard the distinct noise of Tom unsheathing his sword, and he quickly did the same. Several empty swings were taken by both men in the occluding darkness, their blades nicking the walls constantly until both swords clashed, a set of sparks flying from the impact.

"You son of a bitch!" Clyde shouted.

"Your insults mean nothing!" Thomas retorted, jabbing forward in the darkness.

Thomas' sword passed right by Clyde, and the warrior could feel his adversary's arm brush by. He took advantage of the situation and grabbed hold of Geeda's arm, swinging him around the room and letting go at the most opportune time, which sent him flying out the door and breaking it wide open. As the light poured in, Clyde hurled his sword with deadly accuracy straight for Thomas Geeda's form as it stumbled against the wall. The blade narrowly missed its mark and became imbedded in the wall as Geeda fled from the scene.

"Oh no you don't!" Clyde growled.

He ran from his room and yanked his sword from the wall, following Tom as he dashed down the hall and practically leapt down the stairs to the first floor. Clyde sharply rounded the corner of the stairs and threw his feet into Geeda's back, sending him bowling forward head over heels. As Clyde took a swift thrust for Thomas Geeda, he recovered immediately and parried the blow quickly. Thomas got to his feet and engaged Clyde in a vicious duel, swinging his sword madly at the warrior.

"You will never escape my presence Clyde! I am Thomas Geeda… and I am everywhere!" he taunted.

Clyde had little difficulty in defending against his opponent, but was taken by surprise when Tom jumped into the air, swinging above and around Clyde with a strange, ethereal motion as if controlled completely by magic. He then made a sudden dive with his sword pointing straight forward. The blade sliced right across Clyde's right shoulder and arm, cutting incredibly deep and causing him to cry out in pain. Upon landing, Geeda knocked Clyde to the ground with a simple elbow to his bleeding shoulder, producing yet another cry from his enemy. When he was down, Thomas Geeda kicked him sharply in the stomach, laughing maniacally.

"Do not underestimate my strength, Sir!" he declared, stepping away from his fallen rival and casting out his hand.

"Pearl!" he shouted.

"Figa!" came another shout.

As Clyde was bombarded with a triad of white orbs that shot down from the sky, tossing his body across the tavern, Geeda was taken by surprise when a small comet came down from the ceiling and exploded right at his feet, throwing him back a good distance. He continued to laugh as Celes and Cyan came rushing down the stairs, hardly scathed by the magical attack.

"I see your magic is gradually returning to this world! Flare!" he hollered.

Both Celes and Cyan were launched from the foot of the stairs to the opposite wall by the immense Flare blast. Then, as the likes of Siegfried and Gau followed their comrades, Geeda sent them sprawling with a quick Blizga spell.

"Uwaaoo!" Gau cried as he fell to the ice damage.

"Hey! Asshole!" Edgar called from atop the stairs, his crossbow at the ready.

Thomas grinned as King Figaro fired his automatic weapon, throwing up a powerful magic shield that melted every single bolt as it came his way. Outraged at his simply being present, Edgar revealed his powerful spear and charged forward, lunging for Geeda. His spear was quickly deflected with the sword, and the two began to exchange blows with Edgar putting forth a lot of fury, and Thomas carelessly blocking his every advance.

"How dare you try and attack us like this!" Edgar snapped.

Geeda made a sharp horizontal strike across his spear and knocked it straight out of his hands. Then, he shot his hand forward and clutched Edgar's neck tightly before pulling back and throwing him into a nearby table.

"I fear none of you!"

"That's about to change you skinny bastard!" yelled a voice from behind.

Thomas Geeda hardly expected the results when Sabin Figaro's powerful fist came flying into his face. The force was so powerful that his feet actually left the ground as his body flew straight over a table and crashed right at the base of the stage.

"Imp!" Tom growled.

Sabin was immediately overcome with a weakening sensation before he was instantaneously transformed into a little green imp, looking at his hands in disbelief.

"Oh shit!" he said in an incredibly high and squeaky voice.

Thomas Geeda smirked as he staggered to his feet, stalking towards Sabin's imp form with murderous intent.

"Now we'll see how well the 'stick' fights against the 'imp'!"

Then, without warning, a chair came flying as if out of nowhere and broke right across Tom's upper body, his body dropping like a rock with pieces of wood falling right on top of him. Clyde, the thrower of the chair, came running forward with his sword held in his left hand. As he attempted to cut down the fallen Geeda, the madman quickly rolled to the side and jumped to his feet as if he had sustained no damage throughout the entire fight. Soon, both Edgar and Clyde were upon him at once, but Thomas Geeda made a surprising jump in the air and performed a complete back flip over the two men's swings. As he landed, he delivered a deep cut in Edgar's left arm and shoulder as he did to Clyde's right. Then he called a Telepo spell and vanished instantly.

"What's going on here?!" Owzer said as he came waddling down the stairs with Umaro, Mog, Strago, Relm, and Interceptor behind him.

They gasped at the sight of the recovering heroes. Celes and Cyan were tending to Clyde and Edgar, while Siegfried and Gau came to the aid of Sabin the Imp.

"Oh my goodness!" breathed Owzer.

"Thomas Geeda," Edgar said bitterly.

"Son of a bitch!" Sabin said in his still squeaky imp voice.

"Holy crap! Is that you Sabin?" Relm said with an odd mixture of excitement and worry.

"Yes it's me! He transformed me into an imp! Can someone get me a freaking green cherry?!" he ranted.

Relm began to giggle at the noise of Sabin's high voice, especially when it grew agitated.

"Goodness, maybe we should keep him this state," Cyan joked, applying pressure to Edgar's wound while Celes fetched her potions.

"Laugh it up!" Sabin squealed.

"Thomas Geeda came _here_?!" Owzer said with surprise.

"His tactics are ruthless and I think he'll do anything to be rid of us," Clyde said through gritted teeth, holding a cloth up against his deep wound.

"He is a most vile creature!" Siegfried commented, assisting Celes in searching for potions and possibly a green cherry for Sabin's ailment.

"We shall need to double our efforts!" said Strago.

"Well said!" Owzer concurred.

As the team recovered from the shock of the incident, everything eventually grew calm again. Those involved with the fight were given sips of potion to ease their injuries, and Clyde and Edgar were applied bandages to their respective wounds delivered by Tom. Sabin was finally turned to his normal state, much to the relief of everyone's ears. Some of them feared that the high frequency might eventually break glass at some point. As the night continued on, things relaxed to a secure level finally, and they no longer worried about the surprise attack by their greatest enemy.

"Sheesh, what time is it?" said Sabin.

"Eleven," Mog replied, dancing around on the bar and glancing at the clock when Sabin asked.

"I'd say this has been one of our more exciting days," said Edgar.

"Well, from being chased by a giant bird of fire, to crashing in a forest, to fighting dinosaurs, to battling a crazy swordsman with unbelievable magic control… I don't think I have ever seen so much action in one day," Sabin mused.

"Ah, hast thou forgotten the journey of the Phantom Train?" Cyan suggested.

"Or perhaps Ebot's Rock, eh?" Strago said with a grin.

"What about Kefka's Tower. Can't forget that one!" Celes added.

Clyde was beginning to get that awkward sensation again, and he hated it. He wished that he could make them stop their nostalgia, but to do so would be an utter impossibility. He considered abruptly leaving their company and heading upstairs without a word, but knew that this would place much suspicion on him. For now, he would have to deal.

"Thine group seems to be of quite the adventures in your past journeys, good fellows. Dost your noble faction ever get a day of rest?" asked Siegfried.

"It was certainly a rarity for us," said Celes.

"No kiddin'!" said Relm.

"Always fight!" Umaro commented.

"Uwaoo! Fight! Fight"

As the night continued, Siegfried got the opportunity to familiarize himself with their team some more. He grew very accustomed to their personalities and was able to understand well their intentions for the world, finding them to be incredibly noble souls that he would be glad to assist. The group collectively welcomed his aid. For, despite his way of speaking that was like Cyan times ten, Siegfried possessed an incredible knowledge of things and an unseen wisdom that accompanied his powerful swordplay. These assets were to hopefully prove useful in the days to come. And for now, they decided it was finally time to rest some more, having been rudely awaked from their sweet sleep by an unwelcome visitor. The next day, they would make their time by seeking out newer transportation to get them around the world easier, hoping to find something as versatile as the Falcon. But for now, things were out of their hands and they all decided to sleep soundly that night.

"We have a long way to go… but I am certain we will prevail," Clyde said to himself before sleeping once again, this time completely uninterrupted and completely at peace… just the way he preferred.


	22. Robotic Rampage

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXII – Robotic Rampage**

The next morning, Clyde woke up in much better spirits, and without a creepy man in his room. He fumbled around in the darkness before he finally saw the light in the crack of his door. Eventually he found his way back downstairs, where he could hear much of the team conversing.

"Hey, Clyde's awake now! Now we just have to wait for Sabin and Terra! What are the odds?" Setzer said jokingly from his seat, his broken left arm held in a sling for now until they could put it in cast or get access to better magic.

"You young people can sleep in so easily. I cannot help but wake up before eight o'clock!" said Owzer, concentrating on something in his lap that none of them could see from their positions.

"Setzer! How are you, Sir?" Clyde asked as he lumbered down the stairs.

"Quite well actually! This is only the second time on this journey I've had my arm in a cast!"

"You're quite the veteran, aren't you?" Locke said from across the room, sitting contently with Celes in his lap, leaning her head on his shoulder… it was a cute image.

"Locke, how's your ankle?" Clyde asked him.

"Hah! Still shitty, but I've had far worse. This one time, I had to escape from a few… authorities, and I was forced to jump from a damn bridge. The fall wasn't bad at first, but when I broke both of my legs at the bottom, I wasn't necessarily feeling so great," Locke explained.

"What were you doing… robbing a train?" Edgar shot snidely from his spot next to Locke.

"Oh Edgar, it's just what he does. Besides, he didn't ever steal anything," Celes said in his defense.

"Well, the least you could do is point out the real thief to me some time," said Edgar.

"Aaah… sure buddy," Locke stammered, making eye contact with Clyde and nodding to ensure that he would keep their little 'meeting' on the train secret.

"How is Terra?" asked Clyde.

"She should be quite all right. She squirmed a bit in the night, but otherwise she seemed fine to me," said Celes.

"That is good," he replied.

"So what's our plan now? We don't have any way to get anywhere!" said Mog.

"Ugah! No sky fly!" Umaro added.

"They are quite right. Without your air transportation it will prove most difficult to track Thomas Geeda and his esper servants down," said Siegfried.

"I wouldn't call them servants… he is human and they are espers," said Edgar.

"Ah, but is he human?" Cyan mused.

"He does have remarkable speed," noted Celes.

"And strength," said Clyde.

"And magic…" Sabin growled as he trudged down the stairs.

"Imp boy awakens!" Locke shouted aloud, much to the amusement of the others.

"Ah, shaddup," Sabin snapped, sitting down abruptly in a seat and laying his head down on the table.

"Perhaps, we may find some sea transport that could take us to the island of Gogo, which is very close by. I know he… er whatever gender it is… (Gogo's voice was always quiet and whispery, so there was no telling what sex the person was… they had always assumed him male, however) wanted us to go about our business and leave him be. But maybe this is the kind of stimulus he needs to come out of its shell once again and go on another adventure," said Setzer.

"Wait… what if… Geeda…" Edgar wondered.

"No… impossible."

"Nothing is impossible here!"

"It can't be though."

"Who's to say that?!"

"Wait, who is this Gogo character?" asked Owzer, looking on at the very excited Edgar trying to get his point across.

"Now brother, calm yourself…"

"Shut up Sabin! I think I am actually right about this one!"

"But there's no proof…"

"No proof?! What more do you need? You've seen his amazing swordplay, his magic, his painting ability… what if it's all just Gogo's mimicking?!"

"Let's not argue about this, boys."

"I think he may have something."

"Come on Edgar, don't be sill-"

"I'm not being silly dammit!"

"Alright, alright, say Thomas Geeda is Gogo. We can confirm this by going to Gogo's island and recruiting him once again. From there, we will be able to watch him closely, and if Thomas Geeda and Gogo coexist, then that means Gogo is Gogo is Thomas Geeda is Thomas Geeda," said Locke.

"It might be a mirror image!" Edgar added.

"W-what's goin' on?" murmured a sleepy voice from the stairs.

They all looked on in surprise, seeing a groggy Terra dressed in a simple nightgown standing on the second step from the bottom, rubbing her eyes. All of them except for the still sleepy Sabin immediately ran to her, concerned looks on their faces.

"Terra! How are you feeling, miss?" asked Edgar.

"A little sore… but otherwise fine. Thank you Edgar," she replied.

"Do you need anything?" he asked again.

"No thank you."

"You're s-"

"Edgar! Enough!" Celes scolded.

"Sorry…"

"Hey, let's give her some room," said Clyde, gesturing for everyone to clear away from the stairs.

"Thanks Clyde," she said sweetly, ambling over to one of the tables and taking a seat.

"We were just discussing the possibility of Gogo actually being Thomas Geeda," said Edgar, looking at her intently as if he was waiting for her to agree.

"I think he's right!" said Mog, hopping up and down.

"Thanks, bud," Edgar replied.

"Ugah! Gogo Geeda!" Umaro shouted from behind Mog.

"I think he's just thinking too hard," Sabin murmured from his spot on the table.

"At least I actually do some thinking!"

"If I wasn't so damn sleepy right now I would punch you in the face!" Sabin shouted, his head still resting on the wood.

"Get your lazy ass up and try it!"

"Hey, cool it! This argument is getting us nowhere, and Terra doesn't need to be bombarded with your constant yelling! Keep it down for a while and let her recover," said Celes.

"Thank you Celes. But, why don't we just find a way to Gogo's island and see for ourselves?" Terra suggested.

"That's what we're planning… too bad finding transportation might be a bit of a problem," Setzer explained.

"If only I still had my rowboat," mused Owzer.

"I don't know, do you think they'd have sea transports here?" asked Clyde.

"It is very possible! This area is near the coast," Cyan answered, looking out the window of the tavern for any sign of a boating establishment.

"Perhaps we could salvage your former airship and manifest a new method of passage to the island?" suggested Siegfried.

"Maybe we could cast float on ourselves and try to walk levitate across before the magic runs out!" said Relm.

"Dear, our magic skills are very limited right now," Strago reminded her.

"Uwaoo! Swim! Swim! Uwagaawaou" Gau babbled.

"Maybe we could all just sprout some wings and fly across!" said Locke.

"We'll find a way! Just leave it to me!" Edgar said nobly, undergoing a rather abrupt change in mood as he stood defiantly before the group.

"What, you have a plan?" asked Celes.

"N-no… but I'll find one!!"

With that, Edgar paraded himself out of the building and began his search for their means of getting to the island, and potentially around the world, something none of them considered until now.

"Even if we do get to Gogo, we'll have to find a way to get ourselves about the world. Our mission is far from over," said Locke.

"Maybe Siegfried is on to something. Too bad we don't know what parts of the forest the parts landed in. Searching for them blindly isn't necessarily the safest option," said Setzer.

Siegfried clenched his fist victoriously, smiling behind his helmet at his successful brainstorming. The others began to make themselves more at home in the tavern once again, letting Edgar do his own thing, seeing as how it kept him from getting too excited in their presence.

"So, Thomas Geeda came here last night?" Terra asked.

"Unfortunately so," answered Clyde grimly.

"Heard you kicked his ass though!" said Locke, grinning from the bar, taking a drink of an unknown beverage.

"We all used our combined efforts to defeat him. If my noise hadn't woken you guys up, I might not be here at this moment," Clyde said.

"Hey, we're just lookin' out for each other like we always do!" Relm said gleefully.

"She's right. Whenever we sense danger, we always jump at the opportunity," said Strago.

"And I am thankful to have comrades like you," Clyde said with a smile.

"Comrades? No Clyde, we're you're friends," said Celes.

At that very moment, Clyde felt an uncomfortable shiver down his spine as he was overcome with emotion. He did his best to conceal it, but he all of a sudden felt like falling to the floor and weeping like a baby. He did not do so, but the urge was incredibly tempting as his body felt very warm… and fuzzy. This was one of the most touching moments he had ever undergone, and Celes' comment filled him with an overpowering sense of completeness, being reunited with the few people in this world that he would consider to be his friends… and here he was lying to them about his identity, just because he was selfish enough to throw Shadow away. Now, Clyde did not know what to do. If he ran out of the room like he wanted to, they might freak out and take it the wrong way… something he did not want to happen. Suddenly, Interceptor, who was resting beneath the table that Relm sat at, shot to his feet and grew very tense. The large dog began to growl and bark in the direction of the door.

"Eh? What is it, boy?" asked Relm.

"Something outside is agitating him," said Owzer, who began to cower in his seat.

The entire group immediately stood and withdrew their respective weapons, watching the door to the tavern intently. Interceptor kept barking and snarling, salivating heavily and looking incredibly hostile. Clyde knew that this was Interceptor's way of detecting bad company. Then, a loud shriek came from the outside, and audible mass panic followed.

"Something is very wrong!" said Sabin, moving towards the door.

Just as he was about to open it, a large metal fist came flying through the wood, knocking Sabin all the way back into the stairs, his large body cracking the wooden steps.

"Ugh!" he moaned, struggling to get up.

Following the fist was a towering, eight-foot robot with a familiar bronze color to its metal, sporting two steam pipes on its back. However, instead of the normal yellow color of its optical sensors, or eyes, they were a deep red.

"Golem…" muttered Locke.

The group wasted no time in assaulting the esper. Unfortunately, every single sword was easily deflected by the powerful metal, and when Strago cast his Thunga spell on it, a reflective barrier directed the magic right back at the old man, who was saved at the last minute by Siegfried's quick reflexes. Interceptor was useless against the metallic monstrosity and continued to growl at it from a safe vantage point.

"Great! The most heavily defended esper we had is standing here before us!" said Mog from afar, tossing bottles of ale at the robot.

Umaro roared as he took his charge, swinging his fist as far back as possible before letting loose an incredibly powerful punch. However, the metal esper effortlessly caught his fist without so much as a budge, and delivered its own punch in retort, which sent the yeti tearing across the room, smashing tables and chairs to pieces.

"This creature is far too powerful for our skills at the moment!" said Cyan.

"Nothing is too powerful for us!" Sabin shouted confidently as he initiated his powerful Aura Bolt and blasted the esper with a wide beam of holy magic.

Golem was only slightly phased by the attack, and upon its rapid recovery it grabbed hold of a nearby tabletop, crushing it to pieces and tossing the shrapnel at the heroes.

"Hey! Leave my friends alone!" shouted Edgar from behind the robotic esper, his spear in hand.

"Edgar! Your presence is greatly appreciated!" called Cyan.

"Hah, did you guys miss-"

Edgar was cut off when Golem simply swung its arm behind, knocking the king off his feet and back onto the streets of the village. The force of the blow left him stunned on the ground. None of them really knew how to handle this at the moment, given that Golem's defenses were just too powerful. When it began thrashing around like a madman, all hell broke loose as the team attempted to dodge his sporadic and unpredictable movements, resulting in mass chaos. Sir Owzer watched frantically from behind the bar as the hopeless battle ensued. He even cringed when Clyde was crushed against the wall by Umaro being pushed into him.

"Oh god that hurts!" Locke cried when he tripped backwards over a fallen table, putting a great strain on his wounded ankle.

The esper continued to rampage across the tavern, smashing everything in its path as the group continued to avoid his powerful arms, definitely not wanting any further injuries. From behind the bar, Owzer began tossing potions to his allies, hoping that this would keep their energy up during this inescapable confrontation. Suddenly, Golem threw its hand up in the air, smashing through the ceiling. Pieces of wood began falling bit by bit, and one landed right on top of Relm, knocking the poor girl unconscious. Strago hastily moved to her side, watching the building chaos.

"Terra! Look out!" the old man shouted from afar.

It was too late for her when she noticed Golem's metal fist coming straight at her. She moved as quickly as she could, being fortunate enough to miss the full force of the hit, but sustaining a painful battering on her right side, making her drop like a rock. Clyde, who had some trouble breathing after being crushed against the wall, acted quickly and grabbed a nearby chair, throwing it at Golem to distract the beast. As it crushed the airborne furniture, the mercenary dove beneath its outstretched arms and slid over to Terra's fallen form, producing a potion quickly for her.

"Retreat may be our only option in this dire moment!" said Siegfried from the stairs, standing at guard with Cyan and Celes.

"I don't think it will let us out the door," said Celes.

"We've got to do something!" Setzer shouted from behind a table at the other side of the room.

"Terra, are you alright?" Clyde asked, kneeling over her body to shield her from any flying debris.

Behind him, Gau and Mog were busy tossing random objects at Golem from different directions, hoping to confuse it for as long as possible. However, with the immense size of the creature, their room was becoming limited, even in such a wide space.

"I-I think I'll be alright… t-thank you for the potion Clyde," she said with a smile, looking up at him gratefully.

"Clyde! We're about to make a break for the door!" Sabin called, having joined the trio at the stairs.

Wasting no time, Clyde quickly picked up Terra's weakened body, startling her at first. The four by the stairs waited until Umaro rammed into Golem with his thick shoulder, pushing the monster up against the wall opposite the bar. This was their only chance to flee, and they all took it. Sabin was the first out the door, followed by Cyan and Siegfried. The rest of them followed quickly, with Clyde carrying Terra, Strago carrying Relm with Interceptor at his heels, and curiously… Celes carrying Locke. Setzer led Gau, Mog, and Owzer out, and Umaro was the last to leave, barely avoiding a wide slapping move by Golem.

"Celes, what's going on?!" Locke shouted.

Once out on the empty streets, Clyde, Strago, and Celes placed their injured companions far away from the tavern, keeping them hidden behind a sturdy general store. Owzer arrived immediately to take care of the injured, with the company of Interceptor who was there to protect Relm. Once Sabin dragged the befuddled Edgar to safety, the remaining members of the team surrounded the tavern in a wide arc, waiting for the robotic monstrosity to engage them once again.

"Doth we have a proper plan of assault at this hour?" Siegfried asked of the others.

"Still working on that!" said Setzer, shaking his Fixed Dice in his hand, keeping his wounded arm held behind him.

"When he comes out, hammer it with as much as you have! We might be able to weaken its defenses!" said Clyde, feeling very strategic and aggressive at the moment.

Right on cue, Golem came bursting from the tavern wall, and soon the whole building collapsed into a giant mass of wood and rubble due to the intense structural damage it had received. Clyde was the first to charge, hacking away ruthlessly at the esper's torso. Cyan followed up with his Quadra Slice sword technique, Sabin unleashed his infinitely powerful Bum Rush, Celes and Siegfried stabbed madly at its legs, Gau utilized his MagiTek Armor rage and blasted the esper with lasers, Mog danced madly about it with hopes of supplying a damaging spell, Umaro pounded it from behind with his fists, Setzer tossed his powerful Fixed Dice, and Strago continually fired his Aqua Breath blue magic (as it was the only one functioning for him at the time).

Only a second after the assault began, Golem slammed its fist into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that knocked the heroes away, revealing that not a scratch had been dealt to him. His barriers of Protect, Shell, Reflect, and Haste (something that seemed to be beyond his power when controlled by the heroes in the past), all protected it from any attacks thrown at it.

"This is an impossible feat!" Cyan panted, crouched on the ground in a defensive pose before the monster.

"Oh! Miss Terra! Where are you going!" came the voice of Owzer.

They looked around to see Terra leaning up against the wall of the general store, concentrating heavily on something as she trudged towards the group.

"Terra, you're too weak!" Celes called, running to her aid.

"Move, Celes!" Terra shouted back, focusing intently.

"What is she-"

"Dispel!" she cried, pushing her hands forward.

Golem was immediately surrounded by a silvery light, little orbs rotating around its body until a diamond-shaped symbol flashed before it and disappeared. With a concerned, mechanical grunt, it looked at its body in disbelief.

"Figa!" Celes said quickly.

"Thunga!" Strago followed.

Golem looked up at the sky just as Celes' powerful fireball slammed into its body, knocking it to the ground. Right after, a huge lightning bolt shot down and fried the fallen beast. Sabin then dashed forward and began pummeling the esper with his fists, denting its defenseless metal shell.

"Your highness, clear away!" Siegfried called, running forward with his sword outstretched.

In an amazing feat of grace and agility, the cunning swordsman leapt high into the air, holding his blade straight to the sky, the sun glistening on the metal. With a simple twist of his wrist, Siegfried directed the blade downwards as he descended back down, the sword tearing right through Golem's head with a brilliant flash of light following that sent a great surge of energy throughout the monster's body, destroying its inner workings.

The group looked on in awe as Golem grew limp and shut down for good, steam no longer pouring from his pipes. Siegfried withdrew his sword from the head just as the frightened citizens departed their hiding places, talking animatedly about what had just taken place.

"Holy cow Siegfried! I never would've thought you had _that_ in you!" Sabin exclaimed.

"'Twas but a specialty of my training. Nothing more than a touch of practice every day!" he replied modestly.

"Well, Master Duncan sure knew what he was talking about when he said 'Practice makes perfect'!"

"My goodness, _you_ are the heroes who defeated the vile Kefka?" said an elderly gentleman.

"Yes sir. We are," Celes answered, awkwardly approaching the citizens of the village as they neared the battle site.

"Well, I can say that I'm not happy about my tavern being destroyed, but the work you have done is absolutely astounding! I'm sure reconstruction won't take too long. Maybe we can use some of that robot's parts!" said another man, the owner of the tavern.

"Did you see that Bob? They fought that big robot and destroyed it!"

"Maybe they can save us from the other monsters!"

"Maybe they can help us build this town!"

"I wonder where they came from."

"Look, it's a yeti!"

"The moogle is so cute!"

"What handsome young men!"

"Check out that guy's hair!"

The comments from the people grew into a loud uproar as the entire tiny population left the security of their homes and businesses and gathered around their saviors. Setzer and Cyan were already having trouble with a group of kids who were very interested in touching the destroyed robot, and Siegfried had people begging him to let them touch his sword.

"What's this?" Edgar mumbled as he finally regained his senses, noticing a considerable mass of maybe fifty people surrounding his friends.

"Is it safe to go out now?" Locke groaned from his position a few feet away.

"What happened?" Edgar asked him worriedly, only remembering the appearance of Golem.

"From the sounds of it, I think they killed it."

"Sirs, the beast has been defeated!" Owzer said excitedly, helping Edgar to his feet.

"Is everyone alright?" asked the king.

"Everyone is quite fine. Relm is still a little shaken from being hit on the head, but I have a feeling she'll pull through nicely with some potions!"

"Good, good," said Edgar as he ambled over to his friends.

"Bro! These people are crazy about us! It's like they've never seen anything like this before!" Sabin shouted, enjoying this moment of glory.

"Hey, Cyan… you're good at public speaking, ask them if they've got any transportation," Setzer requested with a whisper.

Cyan nodded and was about to proceed when Setzer interrupted him.

"And we'll need supplies too," he added.

Cyan tried again, but was stopped for a third time by Setzer.

"And see if there's any chance that they can spare some tools… oh, and Terra needs some clothes since all she has on her is a night gown," he continued.

Right after Cyan turned to address the people, Setzer tapped him on the shoulder for the fourth time…

"Hurry up, will ya? We haven't got all day!"


	23. Welcome Back, Gogo

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXIII – Welcome Back, Gogo**

In the aftermath of the battle, several arrangements had been made. The elderly, but somewhat annoyingly jolly ad interim "mayor" of the village of Valorin (a temporary name) had agreed to supply the heroes with as much lodging and supplies as they needed. Granted, with the current state of construction, items were limited, but with a fair share of potions and ethers, everyone was soon in tip-top form, and Setzer and Locke were even completely healed of their serious injuries. Along with that, they were given permission to utilize all of Valorin's facilities, including the developing shipyard in the northern part of the village. Now, Edgar and Locke sat with the mayor in his "office" (that was still being built around them), finalizing some details.

"Your graciousness is met with our gratitude, sir. As soon as my kingdom returns to its former stability, I would be glad to lend you any supplies, finances, and manpower that you require to finish this fine village," said Edgar.

"Ah, that would be splendid, your majesty! Of course, we owe it to you for saving us from that metallic monstrosity!" the mayor beamed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team remained outside, mingling with the civilians, enjoying a nice breakfast provided by Valorin's diner, talking amongst themselves, or even sleeping in the middle of the street in Mog and Umaro's case.

"Oh man, this is amazing!" Sabin cried, stuffing his face full of bacon while sitting in the diner.

"Sir Figaro, your pace of eating may very well lead to your demise! Be sure not to swallow so swiftly!" said Siegfried, drinking a strange purple beverage through a straw that he had stuck down his helmet visor.

"Gosh, you really are a meathead!" Relm jabbed, looking on at Sabin's eating habits in disgust while Interceptor stood by her side, waiting for him to drop just one piece of food onto the floor.

Outside, Terra stood alone on the dusty main 'street' of Valorin, looking on as her friends enjoyed themselves. Catching a glance of Clyde, who was talking with Owzer, she suddenly felt a strange sensation of happiness. At the moment, she was still weary enough from the battle that she could hardly explain anything she was feeling, but there was something about Clyde that was absolutely alluring and interesting now. He had gone out of his way just to save her, and she was eternally grateful for that. But, what if there was something more? Something about his demeanor and character was so… attractive to her, even since the first day she met him. He sort of reminded her of someone else she knew…

"Hey, Terra… you feeling alright now? I know that spell took a lot out of you," said Celes, approaching her after leaving the company of Cyan, Setzer, and Gau.

At first, Terra ignored her, observing everything Clyde did, everything Clyde said… it was all so intriguing after this recent battle, it was amazing to her how much it hit her now.

"Terra? Hellooo?" said Celes, waving her hand in front of her.

Terra finally snapped out of it and looked at Celes in surprise.

"Oh, hey! Sorry Celes… er, did you say something?" she stammered.

Celes looked at Terra with a grin, her eyes glancing at Clyde quickly.

"Heh, you like him don't you?"

"W-what?! No, of course not!" Terra answered nervously.

"Oh, come on Terra… I can tell you do. You're looking at him just the way I would look at Locke after the world fell apart. That longing for security, friendship, love…"

"Well, I mean… Clyde is a nice guy, I guess. I don't think I can say that I'm quite in love, but I suppose there is something there," said Terra.

"Don't sweat it. Clyde is a really good man, and he's been a great help in this little journey. I understand how you feel… he reminds me of Locke in some ways," Celes said with a chuckle.

Locke was not quite who she saw in him, but she knew what Celes meant. Interestingly though, no one in the group had seen Locke and Celes show a whole lot of romance in public, but everyone knew that ever since the fall of Kefka, something sparked between them and brought them together finally. Every now and then they would be caught holding hands or cuddling on the Falcon, but the two were not exactly open about their feelings with the rest of the world. However, Terra did not think that Celes saw Clyde in the same light she did. But it was nice of her to lend her thoughts in the matter.

"Anyway, I came over here just to check on you. I hope that ether brought your energy back after casting that spell?" said Celes.

"Oh yes, I am quite fine now, thank you."

"Wonderful. Well, it looks like the boys are done talking to the mayor, so I'm going to go see what the plan is for now. Happy hunting," Celes whispered with a wink before departing Terra's company to join Locke as he exited the 'town hall' with Edgar.

"Happy hunting… heh," Terra laughed to herself.

Soon, Locke called all of his friends together, having them congregate just outside the toppled tavern of Valorin, explaining their current course.

"We've been given access to the village's shipyard, and I'm going to take a small group to Gogo's island so that we can fetch our old friend."

"Seeing as how they only have a few small boats, they can only bring along a group of about four, so the rest of us will have to stay here and protect this village if anything else happens to come our way," said Edgar.

"Edgar is going to be in charge back here, while I take Setzer and two others to get Gogo. Volunteers?" asked Locke.

"Looks like I don't have much choice," Setzer mumbled.

"You're our pilot, genius," Locke whispered.

"I would be honored to volunteer my services to your noble cause, sir," Siegfried said stoutly as he stepped forward, bowing.

"I'll go with you guys," Clyde added.

"Heh, that was quick. Alright then, I guess the rest of you have fun and play nice. We'll be back soon!"

With that, the four men began heading north towards the shipyard, and the rest remained where they were, looking around idly.

"So… not a whole lot to do around here, eh?" said Sabin.

"Hah, I'm catchin' some more shut-eye, kupo!" said Mog, taking up his previous shady spot for a nap.

The group gradually drifted apart to spend their time as best they could while the others went for Gogo. Soon, the very full and very bored Sabin was left alone with the very loud and opinionated Relm.

"Well, uh-"

"I'm gonna go paint some of those flowers over there! You have fun by yourself, Meathead!" Relm said joyfully, skipping along with Interceptor following close.

Sabin glared at her as she parked herself before a collection of beautiful, vividly colored flowers, Owzer wandering over to her so that he could marvel at her talents, as he so loved. Sabin looked around at his other friends, noting that they kept themselves quite busy even in the dullest of situations. It looked like Celes and Terra were having a bit of "girl talk" while Edgar casually paced by the two of them to catch in on anything being said… he was rather desperate at times. Cyan was having trouble keeping Gau away from his sword, for the wild boy had all of a sudden developed a very playful habit about him.

"Oy, Sabin! You enjoying yourself just standing there like a lost dog?" Strago asked as he approached.

"Hah, sure thing…" Sabin mumbled.

Sabin could not say that he minded Strago's company, but he always found it awkward trying to carry an interesting conversation with elderly people. Strago, on the other hand, thought it was quite entertaining discussing matters with younger generations.

"Ah, that Relm eh… she's quite the talker," Strago commented, watching as she talked animatedly with Owzer while still painting her flowers.

"Yeah, quite the talker… sometimes she's a little brat though," Sabin growled.

"Hah, this is true sir! But, I must say that she has certainly been a blessing in my life. Hell, I would've never met all of you guys if it weren't for her mishap in Thamasa a year ago! She's been the light of my life ever since her mother and father left her with me, unable to care for her due to the circumstances," the old man mused.

"Say, what ever did happen to her parents?" asked Sabin.

"Er… well, her mother died. And her father… I, uh… last I knew of him he went missing… or something like that."

Strago often had a hard time stretching the truth, obviously having a hard enough time thinking of Clyde as Clyde instead of Shadow, let alone not revealing his blood relationship to Relm.

"I see," Sabin said skeptically, not totally bought on Strago's explanation, but satisfied enough to understand that Relm's father was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm glad she recovered after that nasty accident in the tavern too. She got hit on the head pretty hard."

"Oh yeah. We're all lucky that we got out of there safely, and that Terra found some magical power within at the last minute."

"I don't know what I would do if I was ever to lose Relm…" Strago breathed.

"I hear ya, man… I hear ya. Edgar may be older and smarter than me, but I'm stronger… and sometimes I get protective of him. It's just natural compassion."

"Indeed," Strago said with a smile, watching as Owzer looked on in amazement at Relm's astonishing work.

Up north, Setzer had located the perfect vessel to take them to Gogo's island. Apparently it was sturdy, fast, and easy to control, which were the essentials in Setzer's decisions regarding transportation. It was a small speedboat that could seat about six people, including the pilot. Wasting no time, the other three immediately got themselves situated, and Setzer engaged the engine, listening to the sweet hum of the motor as it vibrated so smoothly.

"Oooh, this baby feels so good," he sighed.

"Setzer, can we stop daydreaming and get the hell out of the shipyard at least?" asked Locke.

"You got it!"

With little warning, Setzer put the throttle on full and launched the small boat straight out of the harbor, streaking through the water like a missile. Locke, Clyde, and Siegfried gripped their seats tightly in fear, all of them wide-eyed at the expense of Setzer's enjoyment. The dockworkers watched in amusement as the boat veered right and shot off into the distance, the petrified screams of Setzer's allies trailing off.

"SETZER! SLOW THIS THING DOWN DAMMIT!" Locke demanded.

"OOH… I SUDDENLY FEEL REMARKABLY ILL!" Siegfried moaned.

"Woo hoo!" Setzer shouted, ignoring their complaints as he neared the northeastern island that was home to the mysterious entity known as Gogo.

An interesting thing about Gogo was that none of them ever knew its gender. Originally, it was assumed that it was a man, with really no basis for that other than Sabin stating, "He's got man eyes." Gogo could have very well been female, and none of them would've ever guessed it, what with its quiet, whispery voice, and never removing its colorful robes or helmet. For the time being, they had decided to refer to Gogo in the masculine form just to avoid the hassle of destroying his humanity by calling it 'it'.

Setzer finally landed the swift speedboat on the west beach of Gogo's island, much to the other's relief as they quickly departed their seats, just waiting to throw up if they needed to.

"Oh come on guys, it was fun! We've gone so much faster in the Falcon! You'll be fine!" Setzer exclaimed.

Clyde weakly collapsed onto the sandy beach, staring up at the sky for a moment and watching it spin from his sudden dizzy spell.

"Heh, wimps."

"Out of respect for Gogo as a potential guest, we will NOT go that fast on the way back to Valorin," Locke scolded.

"Oh, fine, fine…"

"Where, by chance, are we to locate this Gogo fellow?" Siegfried inquired, hanging his head low from his own sudden dizziness.

"Wait, don't we get sucked up by some monster?" asked Setzer.

"You are correct! We just have to find this big worm-like monster with a huge mouth and it will swallow us whole and take us into the underground," said Locke.

"You make it sound so simple…" Setzer muttered.

"Ugh… as long as little effort is required to get there, I'm fine," Clyde moaned.

"We must carry on!" Siegfried said stoutly, standing up straight, showing obvious strain at keeping his balance.

Clyde reluctantly got to his feet, still feeling slightly sick but moderate enough to continue their journey. Soon, the four gathered close and walked farther inland on the small island, which held a small mountain, a tiny patch of forest, and the rest barren wasteland.

"This creature we seek, it shall not cause any considerable harm to our persons?" Siegfried wondered.

"Well, I will say that when I first came here with Cyan, Celes, and Strago, we were taken by surprise and attacked it immediately. But before any of us could kill it, we were all sucked in one by one and taken to the caverns beneath the island, which is what Gogo calls home. The only harm we sustained was due to the rough landing down below," Locke explained.

Then, as if right on cue, out of the ground came a hideous creature, scattering large amounts of earth and rock everywhere. The beast was indeed somewhat worm-like, with a thick, tubular body and a round mouth that pulsated rhythmically. Setzer looked rather disgusted by the monster's muscular bodily contractions, not daring to take a step forward.

"And we just let it-"

Before Clyde could finish, Locke was suddenly pulled in by the beast's sharp intake of air, creating a powerful vortex that howled inside its mouth. The three of them watched in horror is their friend disappeared passed its wide mouth and disappeared past the fleshy inside of its cavity.

"Holy hell! Screw that!" Setzer said in shock.

Then, the beast sucked in another huge quantity of air, beginning to tug at the unsuspecting Setzer, who resisted the strong wind with all of his might.

"No! You won't take me you b-"

Setzer was eventually forced to give up when his feet left the ground and he was devoured just like Locke, now leaving Clyde and Siegfried with the hungry creature. Siegfried was its next target, and being caught by surprise, he had no chance to fight before being swallowed, leaving Clyde temporarily alone before he was also forced to take the plunge into the unknown depths of this monster's insides.

The trip down was rather uncomfortable, Clyde thought. As the monster's muscular esophagus forced him down farther, the feeling of flesh was soon replaced by the feeling of rock, yet the earth still moved him along with peristaltic motion, and before he knew it, he came tumbling down a rocky slope before crashing in a heap behind Locke, who was standing defiantly in this new cavern, Setzer and Siegfried still collapsed on the ground next to him.

"That was one of the most unpleasant moments of my life," Setzer said blankly.

"I think I feel even more ill now…" Siegfriend groaned.

"Now, now, guys! No giving up! Let's go!" Locke declared, begin his strut down a stretch of natural stairs carved into the earth.

The other three took a moment to collect themselves before following Locke closely, looking around at the wide cavern that they now stood in. Following his lead, they entered a new chamber, where a great black abyss separated them from the other side of the area, which was apparently their destination. Fortunately, segments from wooden bridges were held aloft in the air, which would allow the heroes to jump from one bridge to another in order to cross over. Unfortunately, upon these segments were strange men dressed in green uniforms. These entities had little to no facial expression, and moved almost robotically, pacing back and forth with vigorous marching across the length of the bridges.

"These things won't attack us will they?" asked Setzer, pulling out his favorite Fixed Dice.

"Don't worry, they don't attack… but they will plow right through you, and then knock you off the edge of the bridge if you don't avoid them. Just follow me the whole way," said Locke confidently, walking forward on the first, and luckily unoccupied bridge.

The four of them stayed close as Locke calculated his moves carefully, leaping across at just the right time when a green man passed by the point he would land on. The others did just as he did, jumping right after him and moving away from the green marches quickly. Within moments they had cleared it to the other side, letting out a unanimous sight of relief.

"Heh, just wait till what comes next!" Locke said devilishly, prancing along into the next chamber.

The three of them looked at each other worriedly (despite being unable to see Siegfried's facial expressions through his helmet, it was blatantly obvious what he was feeling).

The next area was a simple passageway, where Locke waited for his companions by another entrance to yet another part of these strange caves. Dreading what was to come, the three of them followed Locke as the leader and entered a giant room with a lengthy expanse of earth to run across. The catch was, the ceiling regularly collapsed as a whole (like one giant mass of rock, rather than irregularly), acting as a simplistic and natural flattening device for any poor soul who could not clear way to the open spots on the ceiling block, or sprint to the other side quickly enough.

"You're shitting me," Setzer said incredulously.

"Ah, simple trips cannot detain us!" Siegfried boasted.

"That's the spirit, Siegfried! Just follow my lead!" Locke shouted.

Just as the ceiling hammered into the ground, it took a few moments before it began to rise again. It was at this moment that Locke broke off into a full run across the long passage. The other three tore after him, rounding their corners quickly and jumping out of the way just in time as the ceiling fell, shaking the entire cavern.

"See? Wasn't so bad, was it?" Locke said with a grin.

The next excursion was a rather frightening one, the four of them being required to bound across a path way exclusively made up of rickety, rotting bridges, and springy treasure chests supported by very thin pillars of rock. A wrong move could lead to an almost instant demise. Luckily, the way was rather straightforward and required no more than quick reflexes, which is what they all possessed. They were greeted to the promising sight of a rusted, iron door at the end.

"Wonderful, we made it through!" said Locke triumphantly, entering the room ahead with the other three following.

Inside was a tall earthen atrium, a large platform of raised land before them, connected by another rock-stair path. Standing upon this platform was a familiar sight to Clyde, dressed in his vividly colored robes and visually extravagant helmet was Gogo, a master of mimicry.

"Ah, I thought I sensed a familiar presence," said Gogo in his well-known whispery voice, androgynous as ever.

"Gogo, we seek your help again. There is a terrible evil upon the world, and it is using our former esper allies against us," explained Locke.

"We've rounded up everyone else of the old team, and found some new members as you can see here," Setzer continued.

"Yeah, Clyde and Siegfried, Gogo. Gogo, Clyde and Siegfried," Locke said quickly.

"Mmm, I also sensed a disturbance up above. Very well, I would be honored to journey across the world for another adventure. This should be fun."

"Splendid. Is our work here done?" said Siegfried.

"Indeed. Let's get outta here!" said Locke, turning on his heels and heading back for the door.

"We've got to go back through that!?" said Setzer.

"Fear not, friends! I have not been completely unequipped down here. It just so happens that I have kept a few souvenirs from our previous journey, one of such being this lovely Telepo Stone," said Gogo, displaying a deep blue rock in his hand.

"A genius as ever!" said Locke.

"_Now_ let's get the hell out of here! Oh, and welcome back Gogo!" Setzer added.

Back in the quiet of Valorin, the remainder of the team awaited their comrades' return, doing absolutely nothing productive for the greater part of half an hour.

"I'm bored," said Relm.

"Go paint something," said Edgar tiredly.

"Go swoon over some ladies!" Relm quipped.

"I've got a better idea! Let's all just shut up! I kind of like the quiet we're getting here," Sabin shouted.

"Mm, it is rather peaceful in comparison to the past few days," Owzer commented.

"It is nice to have a break every so often. I still feel rather sore from our volatile confrontation with Golem," said Cyan.

"Me thinks Relm is right about being bored, kupo!" Mog piped up.

"Ugah…" Umaro retorted lazily, slouched on the ground with a drowsy disposition.

"Uwaoo! Hungry! Gau hungry!"

"Didn't you just eat!?" said Sabin.

"Bring Gau food! Mr. Thou!"

"DO NOT start that again!" Sabin growled, glaring at the wild boy as he danced around the group who had gathered in the shade of a nearby tree, just outside the village.

"I hope Thomas Geeda is not taking this time to attack any other villages," Cyan mentioned.

"Oh my… he might be," Celes said worriedly.

"Jidoor is a rather potent target now, what with the majority of Figaro Castle temporarily there," Owzer added with a hint of concern.

"If only we had a little more airship technology in this world," mused Terra.

"If only we had enough power to stop the espers more quickly," said Edgar, kicking the ground as he stood.

"Oy, I think that's them!" Strago exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the north side of Valorin.

They all looked up, their faces bright with hope. Exiting the shipyard were five familiar figures, Gogo's bright robes acting as a clear beacon.

"Excellent! Now we can actually do some heavy planning!" Sabin said excitedly, jumping to his feet and dashing towards their friends.

The rest of them followed at much more leisurely pace, meeting up with their five comrades in good time, gathering once again near the rubble of the tavern.

"Gogo, welcome back!" many of them called, admiring the sight of another addition to their team.

"It is good to return to your company once again, friends. I understand that the world is in a bit of trouble?"

"Well, you know us!" said Sabin.

Edgar seemed to be slightly disappointed by the sight of Gogo, for he was beginning to have doubts about his own theory now. If Gogo was Geeda, then he might have well as attempted to dispatch the ones who were already in his presence, then come to finish off the smaller number of people. Still, he figured it would be safer to keep an eye on their returned friend, because anything seemed possible here.

"You alright, Edgar?" asked Locke, noticing his unusually quiet form.

"Oh yeah, totally alright. What's our plan now?"

"Well… I had an idea," Terra said softly.

"Oh Terra, why so timid! What's on your mind?" asked Setzer.

"I was wondering if some of us could check up on Mobliz. You know, just to see if everything is alright there, and to make sure that the soldiers are handling things."

"I would love to escort you there," Edgar said quickly.

"I would not mind accompanying you either," Clyde added, catching Edgar's rather jealous gaze.

"I think I've had enough action for today, but you boys can go on ahead with her… and Setzer would be glad to drive!" said Locke, patting Setzer on the back and leaving their company with a great yawn.

"So I guess it's us four then? Anyone else?" Setzer asked.

"I would not mind tagging along. After all, I feel I should probably become initiated with the likes of a new adventure!" said Gogo, stepping forward.

The rest of them scoffed at Setzer's request for further volunteers, not willing to place themselves between the subliminal animosity of Edgar and Clyde any more than they needed too. And the fact that they all assumed Mobliz would be in good hands.

"Er… whatever. Us five then? Shall we depart?" said Setzer, throwing his long silver hair into the wind with a heroic grin.

"Easy there, macho. Let's just get to the boat, then we'll pose for the kids in the village," Edgar shot sarcastically.

Setzer let out a fake hiss and proceeded toward the shipyard once again, straightening out his dirty jacket like he was heading for the high roller's table.

"Mm, still a few peculiar quirks. This should be most enjoyable," Gogo commented, following after the gambler with Clyde, Terra, and Edgar behind him.

_Author's Notes: This chapter took me an extraordinarily long time to write. Why? Because just after I posted the previous chapter, I began to work on this one, and I had it finished within a week. So, naturally I started work on chapter 24 right after this, just to get started before I updated again. However, due to my stupidity I accidentally saved over this one with the stuff I had written for chapter 24. What an idiot, yes? So I had to rewrite this entire thing, and it was very annoying. But, it is done now! I guess it is lucky that chapter 24 has an early start though, eh? Here's a small spoiler for the next chapter. An annoying foe returns with considerably more power._


	24. Colossal Calamari

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXIV – Colossal Calamari**

The speedy trip to Mobliz was short, but certainly not sweet. Terra felt rather nauseated after Setzer's "cutting through the water" as he put it, and they were all very glad to see land once again, having a little trouble adjusting to the ground after the high-speed ride, however.

"Well, we're here!" Setzer said proudly while the others stumbled around for a moment.

Terra smiled upon seeing the partially reconstructed Mobliz, feeling like she was returning home for a nice visit after a long trip. However, this sensation was lost when she realized that something was wrong. No one was outside, and there were signs of a vicious struggle with overturned and smashed carts, broken planks of wood, carpentry tools, military helmets, and various pieces of debris everywhere…

"What the hell?" said Clyde, approaching the broken town and the remains of the partially completed new orphanage.

"Oh my goodness, I hope the children are safe!" Terra sobbed, looking around worriedly for any sign of life.

"Let's go knock on doors and see what's up. This is definitely not how we left it," said Edgar.

As they headed for the nearest building, Gogo stopped by a large groove in the ground that looked as if a giant tube had been scraped across it.

"Something very large was here recently," he noted before catching up with the other four.

"Terra, go check the orphanage," said Edgar, knocking on the door of a former shop, not noticing that the roof had been completely torn off.

They split up and began calling out for people, banging on doors, windows, anything that could make impressionable noise. None answered until Terra reached the current, smaller orphanage, timidly rapping her fist on the door.

"I-is anyone there? It's me… T-Terra!"

The familiar sound of unlocking bolts came to her ears, and a ray of hope seemed to shine down as the door opened a crack, revealing the concerned face of Duane.

"Terra!" he cried, throwing the door wide open and embracing her tightly.

"Duane!" she replied, embracing him just as tightly.

"It's terrible… t-the soldiers couldn't f-fight it… t-too b-b-big!" he began to sob, Katarin appearing behind him.

"Terra, oh my goodness it is so good to see you again!" she exclaimed, giving Terra another tight embrace when Duane let go.

As she stepped into the orphanage building, she could see all of the children huddled inside, accompanied by many of the construction workers of the town, and a few of the imperial soldiers, looking absolutely terrified.

"Terra!" many of the kids screamed, running to her quickly and all attempting to hug her at once.

"W-what happened here?" she asked with great concern.

Clyde, having heard the commotion, entered the building with his comrades, watching the touching scene as Terra was reunited with the people she cared for the most. However, it was a grave moment in the wake of whatever terrible accident had befallen the village of Mobliz.

"It happened so quickly, no one could tell what it was! The kids say it was a monster, and I never saw it because the soldiers came running inside with the children, ordering everyone to stay inside!" Duane explained.

"It _was_ a monster! It… it came from the sea and thrashed around the village, killing most of our men in seconds! Before we could even save the wounded, it snatched away the bodies of all the fallen. None of the children were hurt, but our forces suffered greatly!" said a clearly distraught soldier.

A monster from the sea? Clyde searched his mind for what could possibly have troubled the town. The others seemed to be pondering this too. Their first conclusion was Bismarck, but seeing as how whales cannot 'snatch' things away very easily, that was a little unlikely. Perhaps it was an esper that they had never encountered before? It was obvious that there were more espers than the team had claimed the aid of in existence.

"I'm going out to investigate," said Edgar, marching out of the orphanage.

"No! King Figaro, wait! It's too dangerous!" called a soldier, but he was intent on his mission.

Clyde knew that he had to follow, because if Edgar were to get into trouble with this supposedly fearsome beast, perhaps it would prove difficult subduing the entity on his own. Both Setzer and Clyde chased after the king, Gogo lingering behind with Terra inside the orphanage.

"Miss Terra, is everything going to be better now?" asked a little girl with a bright pink bow in her hair.

"Mhm. Everything will be so much better," Terra answered, hugging the girl gently with a sob in her voice as her eyes began to water.

Outside, the three men approached the tranquil north coast, observing the giant grooves left in the ground as the tide periodically washed in. They each prepared themselves for anything, especially because things happened rather spontaneously in this world, and if this monster was half as bad as the soldier described, they did not know what to expect.

"Do you think it will come back?" Setzer asked.

"Not sure. I don't really know if I want it to or not, either," said Edgar.

"Let us hope the soldiers were exaggerating about this beast," Clyde added.

Suddenly, a great purple blur shot out from the water. The trio was dumbfounded as it slammed into Clyde's torso, throwing him back, then swept across Edgar and Setzer, knocking them to the ground.

"What timing…" Setzer moaned.

A single massive tentacle, about the size of the esper Terrato, reared up high into the air before whipping downwards and attacking the fallen Clyde. Edgar got to his knees and quickly lobbed his spear at the large extremity, scraping across the top of its round form. A second tentacle came whistling from the water, shoving Edgar back to the ground. By this time, Clyde had recovered, and was readily slashing away at the new appendage from the water. After nicking the purple flesh a good deal, Clyde felt something heavy wrap around his ankle, yanking him up into the air.

"Aw shit, more!"

Now, four tentacles flailed about, one swinging Clyde around wildly by his ankle, the other three attempting to crush, poke, squeeze, and trip Setzer and Edgar. As Clyde was waved about like a rag doll, a great blast of white light caused the tentacle to convulse and drop its captor immediately. After he landed roughly on the ground, Clyde looked up to see Terra, who had just hit the purple terror with an accurate Blizra spell.

"My magic is starting to come back!" she said victoriously, running forward into the fray with her small sword in hand, preferring to keep her distance however, when a giant board came flying at her, Gogo following closely behind with a long black rod in tow.

As the tentacles attacked, Edgar fired several shots of his Auto Crossbow into as much slimy flesh as he could, Setzer doubling this effort with his Fixed Dice. As the tentacles took damage, the sea to the north began to swell violently, bubbling and rippling all over. Soon, two more tentacles accompanied the four already out, and Gogo used his powerful abilities to mimic Edgar's tool use, blasting away with the Auto Crossbow.

"What the hell is this?! It doesn't seem like any esper I remember!" said Setzer.

"It's no esper! It's-"

Before Terra could finish, a great eruption spewed from the ocean, and a monstrous form rose out of the water, liquid cascading down its humongous purple body. The beast was a hideous octopus, complete with huge, marble-like black eyes, a gargantuan mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, and carried not eight, but twelve frightening tentacles. This creature was a hideous and overgrown mutation of a recognizable foe to each of them.

"Bullshit! The last time I saw him, Ultros was not _that_ big!" Edgar shouted, narrowly dodging a whipping tentacle.

The mutated Ultros let out a ferocious roar, displaying more of its cave-like mouth, rows of serrated teeth visible almost everywhere inside. Clyde was almost mesmerized by the heavily altered sight of this familiar nuisance that he did not notice as a tentacle flattened him against the ground, crushing him into the dirt. Setzer quickly knocked it aside with a mild blast from his Fixed Dice, giving Clyde just the amount of time he needed to get to his feet and hack away at his attacker.

"Blizzga!" Terra shouted, successfully able to call upon her most powerful ice magic to knock away a violent cluster of tentacles heading for the three men fighting up front.

Gogo readily mimicked her move and directed his magic at a pair of tentacles that were causing a problem for Edgar, who was attempting to cut them up with his chainsaw. Luckily, as another writhing purple mass passed by, King Figaro dealt a critical hit to the thing, cutting it rather deeply and retiring it from the fight as Ultros let out a low roar.

"Hah! Take that, you big bastard!" Edgar screamed, swinging his spear around chaotically.

Ultros gradually waded closer to the land, lashing out fiercely with his muscular limbs, sending huge masses of dirt flying everywhere, making this fight much harder for the heroes, who had to avoid tentacles and falling clusters of ground. Clyde tripped over a mount of earth and quickly slashed a tentacle as it flew at him, stumbling across the waterfront. Terra hastily shocked it with a Thunga spell, Gogo repeating her move on the same target, hoping to weaken it that much more. Two blasts of the ultimate lightning magic seemed to incapacitate the tentacle nicely, getting another roar of pain from their old friend.

"Try aiming for the main body!" Setzer called, hurling his dice at Ultros' head.

The blast from the Fixed Dice only seemed to stupefy the giant octopus for a moment, causing it to blink erratically before continuing its attack as before. Terra tried once again to use Thunga against it, but this time her magic power seemed to fail her, and Gogo was not exactly sure what to do now as he crept carefully toward the main battle. Edgar attempted a shot of his immensely powerful Air Anchor, but missed Ultros completely. Gogo quickly mimicked his attack, but missed just the same. Both of them were then toppled over by a swinging tentacle.

"Edgar, you don't think that our own magic would return to us, do you?" Setzer called, ducking beneath an attack by Ultros.

"Well, you never know until you try! Fire!" Edgar called, aiming for the tentacle that had just knocked him over.

Edgar growled in disappointment as nothing happened, and he quickly dashed for his target and made a move to impale it on his spear. Setzer tried his own luck at using blizzard, but to no avail. Now he considered calling upon the power of his Slot ability, but wasn't sure that a gamble was wise in this trying fight.

"Setzer, behind you!" Gogo called, sounding rather peculiar by yelling with a whispery tone.

Gogo's warning caught him just in time as Setzer ducked and spun around, watching as a tentacle whizzed over his head. With an incredibly lucky roll of his gambling weapons, the tentacle retreated back to the water with the previous three.

"This has got to be Geeda's doing," said Clyde, bounding through a mass of tentacles with his sword flailing around him, slicing through the thick, squishy flesh of the octopus.

As he cleared past the thicket of purple, he suddenly felt one constrict itself around his legs, hauling him off the ground once again. Setzer came running forward to the rescue, but immediately suffered the same fate as Clyde… obviously Ultros had gotten a little bit smarter.

"Ah! A little help here?!" Setzer called down.

"Gogo! You got anymore tricks up your sleeves?" Edgar yelled, stabbing a tentacle with his spear before being grabbed around the torso by another.

"Never fear! I was not so quick to forget some abilities," Gogo said confidently before knocking every single tentacle back with Sabin's Air Blade Blitz, unable to free his friends from their grips however.

"Figa!" Terra cried desperately, smiling when the fireball came crashing into Ultros' face, sending it splashing angrily into the water, roaring thunderously.

Gogo, feeling a strange connection with a presence unknown to him, gripped his black rod by the very edge, swinging his arm back as he had so often mimicked before. He then propelled the sleek black weapon forward, watching as it spun through the air and headed straight for one of the giant black eyes on Ultros' snarling face. The three men dangling in the air with giant tentacles wrapping tightly around their bodies watched with the highest anticipation, seeing no other way out of this sticky situation. As the black rod hit right on target, a wave of relief flooded into their systems… before they plunged to the ground several feet below, slamming into the dirt. Ignoring the bruising pain of their gravitational crash, they watched as Ultros began screeching loudly, his right eye shut tight and each of his twelve tentacles thrashing about, tossing the sea around turbulently.

"Great shot, Gogo!" Edgar said with praise.

They observed gratefully as the giant octopus retreated back to the depths, its howling pain still audible for a few moments after. Then, everything fell silent, and the three men on the beach let themselves fall limp as they laid there in pain.

"Oh please work!" Terra cried, approaching her friends and trying her luck at a Cure spell, casting it on all three of them.

She frowned when not a thing happened, feeling incredibly distressed at the moment. They were not seriously injured, but seemed to be in a heavy amount of pain, and seeing someone suffer was something absolutely unbearable.

"Terra, hold on," said Gogo, approaching them.

He reached into his robes and revealed three clear vials full of dull blue liquid… high potions. Terra expressed her thanks and carefully took the bottles, dispersing them amongst her wounded friends, who didn't waste a drop and jumped to their feet after feeling completely recovered.

"Oh, so much better! Thanks you guys," said Setzer.

"That was some impressive throwing, Gogo… and you can still do that with Shadow no longer with us?" asked Edgar.

Once again, Clyde felt the sharp pang in his mind at the mention of his previous alias.

"It would take a lot for me to forget so much."

"Terra! Is it gone?" Duane called from the orphanage, Katarin right behind him.

Terra slowly stood and turned to them with a smile, nodding.

"She says it's gone. Kids, you stay inside though," Duane called back into the building.

The remaining imperial soldiers stepped outside cautiously, eyes darting everywhere in panic. Terra jogged over to the orphanage and approached them.

"Er, excuse me… what are you going to do about this?" she asked.

"W-well… since we were dropped off by airship, we have no quick way of alerting the empire. But, we sent two of our soldiers to New Vector after the attack… we're hoping they'll make it so that we can request either more personnel or a relocation of the children and these workers. They are not safe here, miss."

"I understand… how long will it take for them to get to the capital?"

"They are our best conditioned troops, so they should be making good time. But we only sent them off an hour ago. It will still take them a while."

"Alright…"

Clyde, who had been listening to the conversation from a short ways away, stepped forward. He knew that Terra was already concerned because of the first attack on the town, and with this severely limited faction of soldiers left for protection, she was no doubt even more worried than before. He stopped behind her and put his hand on Terra's shoulder, causing her to turn quickly. At the moment he touched her, she felt a strange shiver… something completely involuntary. For the first time ever since setting foot into the ruined Mobliz, her mind was almost at peace.

"We will stay here until the empire arrives," Clyde declared.

Clyde's words were so soothing now, and the way he looked at her… that perfect eye contact, she remembered the fleeting moment on the night before arriving in Thamasa… the night that Shadow made the very same eye contact for just a second. Obviously, Clyde was no cold mercenary, but everything about him now was incredibly relaxing.

"I…I… thank you Clyde," she stammered, averting her eyes quickly, to avoid blushing.

Clyde, realizing that this could become very awkward soon, catching the confused glances from the soldiers, withdrew his hand, giving off a sheepish grin.

"Heh, getting a little hot, isn't it?" Setzer joked, nudging Edgar.

"Sure," Edgar said coldly, narrowing his eyes.

"Er, anyway… I guess we just wait for New Vector to come," the soldier said, quickly moving away from the group.

"You don't think the others will worry about our long absence, do you?" Setzer wondered.

"They will hopefully understand. How are you feeling, Setzer?" asked Gogo.

Setzer was a little surprised at this display of consideration from Gogo. Gogo was never very personable before, and did not like to say a lot.

"I… feel pretty good now. Thankfully you had those high potions," he replied.

"Katarin, have the children eaten?" Terra asked.

"We were just about to start making lunch when the attack started… the whole excitement kind of took the appetite out of all of us, I think. They must be starving now!" she answered, quickly running back into the orphanage with her infant child in tow.

"Aw, did my 'little' friend ruin lunchtime?" called a sinister voice.

Everyone outside immediately directed their attention to the arrival of Thomas Geeda, who stood pompously by the south entrance into Mobliz, pointing his sword at a weak-looking figure crouched on the ground beside him.

"Get the hell out of here, Geeda," Clyde growled, marching forward with his blade poised to strike.

"Don't take another step or I'll cut this woman's throat," Geeda threatened, putting the blade beneath the person's chin, forcing it to look up.

"Rosa!" Clyde said in shock, almost fighting tears as he looked at the crumpled form of the first person to help him in this new world.

"C-Clyde…" she coughed, looking incredibly feeble with a battered and bruised body, covered in a nasty brown cloak.

"Mmm, do I sense a spark of emotion within our little hero?" Tom Geeda taunted.

"You sick bastard, what do you want!?" Setzer shouted.

"How dare you send your little pet to attack these children!?" Terra screamed, an unpredictable ferocity to her voice.

"Yes, yes! Let the collective anger build! Attack me if you must… it only means poor Rosa's life here," the villain laughed.

"I suppose you made a deal with Ultros. Promised him power?" Edgar commented.

"It was only so easy. He is proving to be quite useful, more so than a few of my espers actually. Oh, and who is this? A newcomer?"

Geeda looked at Gogo with visible curiosity.

"I assume that this is our power-hungry foe? Quite a change from the madness of Kefka," said Gogo.

Tom Geeda's curiosity suddenly turned into a frightening scowl of rage.

"DO NOT… COMPARE ME TO THAT MAN!" he shrieked, catching the rest of them off guard.

"This guy is crazy!" Duane muttered under his breath, sneaking back into the orphanage and bolting the door shut.

Geeda almost immediately regained his cool composure and smiled at them.

"Well, I am pleased to see that you were unable to permanently defeat my mollusk servant. He could possibly become more useful than I imagined. However, that is hardly worth discussing at the moment. I am here to inform you that your pair of imperial soldiers took a rather nasty spill and were unfortunately devoured by another of my magical slaves. This poor town is just crumbling around you so steadily, Miss Terra! Anywho, my time is rather limited and I have other business to attend to on the other side of the world. You fools without your airship is an absolute dream that I am so happy to take full advantage of. I bid you farewell!"

"No! Let Rosa g-"

In a quick flash of light, both Thomas Geeda and Rosa disappeared into nothingness. Clyde looked up to the sky hopelessly, praying silently that Rosa would be kept safe from any further harm under Geeda's captivity.

"That son of a bitch! We'll never get to the empire!" one of the soldiers cried.

"Pull yourself together son, and get rid of that cynical attitude!" another ordered.

"We should go," suggested Edgar.

"But, the children need protection _now_!" said Terra.

"Hold on a minute. Why don't you stay here with someone Terra, and I'll take the other three back to Valorin and get some of the others to come over here. Then, we'll split into two groups, one to stay and protect the town, the others to travel to New Vector. There's no way Geeda will stop us," said Setzer.

"Excellent idea. I'll st-" Clyde began to say.

"I'll stay with Terra. Take Clyde and Gogo," Edgar interrupted.

Clyde almost had the urge to shout out a vicious insult, but he quickly restrained himself by roughly sheathing his sword and balling up his fists.

"Fine," he said in reluctant agreement.

After convincing Duane that the coast was clear, the remaining soldiers and Terra and Edgar entered the orphanage, leaving the other three alone in the deserted, quiet town. Without a word, they returned to the boat and made way back to Valorin, Setzer taking off at high speed again, this time out of fear for Ultros' potential return.

_Author's Notes: Next chapter will be up this weekend._


	25. A Restless Day

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXV – A Restless Journey**

When Sabin spotted Setzer returning with Gogo and Clyde, realizing that two of the original five were missing, he immediately panicked, fearing that Terra and Edgar had been maimed, imprisoned, knocked unconscious, drugged, petrified, frozen, possessed, vanished, killed, or otherwise held up.

"Setzer! Clyde! Gogo! Where are Terra and Edgar!?" he cried.

"Whoa there, boy… calm down," Setzer said quickly.

"Don't worry, they're safe back in Mobliz," Clyde continued.

"Yeah, exactly. We need everyone to gather up, so get to it," said Setzer.

"Me!? Why don't you summon everyone?" Sabin retorted.

"I don't know where everyone _is_, dickhead," Setzer quipped.

Sabin glared at his comment and stormed off, calling out for the team members rather noisily. Within good time, he had disturbed nearly everyone of their peaceful evening and brought the heroes together once again, a few of his fellow world-savers glaring at him.

"So, what's the story? Your jacket is looking a little dustier," said Locke.

"You'll never guess who we ran into," said Setzer.

"I hate guessing games!" said Relm.

"Was it Sir Thomas?" asked Owzer.

"Oh, well… yeah… we did see him, but we also ran into Ultros."

"Ultros, a cunning, yet rather irritating creature…" Siegfried mused.

"Ultros!? That dumb octopus is still alive?" Strago asked in disbelief.

"As it appears, he is not quite the dumb octopus you recall," added Gogo.

"What, did he starting reading now?" said Sabin.

"He got really damn big, and he has twelve tentacles… oh, and he pretty much ruined Mobliz all over again," Setzer explained.

"When you say really damn big…"

"He has tentacles the size of that giant snake we fought in Figaro," said Clyde.

"Oh my gosh… Ultros is on Geeda's side now, isn't he?" Celes asked worriedly.

"Very much so."

"Alright, so what are we doing now?" asked Locke.

"Well, when we arrived, Ultros had already attacked once, killing most of the imperial soldiers. Sometime before our arrival, two soldiers were sent back to New Vector for help. After we fought the big bastard when he came back, Geeda came poking his arrogant nose around and told us that the two soldiers weren't going to make it to the capital. Someone has to notify the Empire though, so a few of us should be the ones to do it… and basically Terra doesn't want to go because she wants to protect Mobliz because of its vulnerable state. So, I need some volunteers to come back with us three so that we can organize ourselves," said Setzer.

"Talk about a mouthful. We'll have to split up accordingly, though. We still need a few back here," said Locke.

"I would love to stay here," Sabin declared loudly.

After a minute or two of sorting out, the groups were decided. Sabin, Umaro, Gau, Mog, and Cyan were chosen to remain behind in Valorin. Then, upon a very cramped speedboat, the remaining members were off in a blast towards Mobliz, finally understanding Locke's aversion to Setzer being near ay sort of fast vehicle, Owzer almost falling over the edge due to the issue of tight space on a fast vessel. After the nauseating trip, in which Interceptor actually seemed frightened about for the first time, they stumbled ashore in Mobliz and marveled at the sight of the damaged town.

"He really messed this place up!" said Relm.

"Yeah, and we got pretty messed up too. Luckily Gogo came to the rescue," said Setzer, catching Gogo's eye for a second.

"Well, where is everybody?" Locke asked.

Clyde stepped forward and directed them to the orphanage, knocking on the door and stating his identity. It took a moment to unbolt the entire door, but Terra appeared with a smile on her face as her friends gathered round.

"Edgar, they're here!"

The team was rather astonished at how everyone had holed up inside the relatively small building. It was almost like being in a homeless shelter, watching the soldiers huddled up in the corner, the kids running around noisily but lacking true happiness, and the workers looking very grim at present.

"Oooh, who is they?" asked one kid, nudging a friend of his to get his attention.

When all of the diversely dressed individuals carrying various weapons entered, every single child seemed to develop an amazing interest for these people, a few remembering them from the day that Fenrir attacked. Many of the boys were staring at Siegfried's attractive armor, the girls admiring Celes' untold beauty… with a few boys happening to notice as well.

"These are my friends, children… and some of them will be staying with us for a while," Terra explained.

Eventually, the conclusion was made that Strago, Relm, Celes, and Owzer would remain behind with Terra, Edgar's disappointment in this decision slightly apparent. Thus, it would be the team of Locke, Clyde, Edgar, Setzer, Siegfried, and Gogo that made the journey to New Vector. Luckily, with access to the sea, they would be perfectly capable of traveling to the port in Albrook, which was considerably closer than their current location. After gathering some left over supplies from Mobliz, such as a tent, and a few potions, the men bade their friends and the survivors of the town goodbye, promising that the Empire would be notified promptly.

"Good luck guys," said Celes, giving Locke a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, making him blush slightly.

"Alright, let's get out of here before things get mushy," Edgar joked.

Locke gave him a light shove and quickly turned about, exiting the orphanage with his fellow warriors. Interceptor almost made a dash for the door as his former master left, beginning to reconnect with his previous attachment to him. Luckily, Relm caught him quickly before he moved too far, knowing that Interceptor's actions could eventually blow Clyde's cover.

"Stay well, Sir Clyde!" Owzer called.

But for now, all of them felt rather at ease as they climbed aboard the boat, each holding a proud confidence at the mission ahead. Setzer was the most optimistic, for this would be an excellent chance to request use of an imperial airship, which would put them back on track after the accident in the forest.

"Do you think the Empire would grant us the use of their airships without charge, though?" asked Siegfried.

"No idea really," Setzer replied, starting the engine.

Soon, they were soaring across the ocean towards their next destination, once again gripping that which was closest to them for security as Setzer rocketed along the water. He laughed as his flowing, silvery hair billowed in the wind, the spray of the sea splashing all over the boat. If he was not so attached to the air, he most definitely would love to live the life of a sea faring corsair. What an adventure that would be… perhaps he should try that some time after the world was saved again. He could even make a pretty big name for himself if he tried hard enough… although he was a gambler rather than a thief. Maybe Locke could help him out somehow.

"Setzer, you want to watch where you're going?" said Gogo.

Setzer snapped out of his fantasizing when he noticed that the boat was speeding towards a huge rock jutting out of the water. A jolt of fear struck him immediately, and he hastily swerved out of the way to avoid a collision, tossing all of his friends out of their seats and onto the floor of the vessel as he steadily regained control.

"Ow! Dammit, man!" Locke yelled as Edgar landed on his back.

"Try to keep your head out of the clouds!" Edgar scolded.

"I'm sorry!" Setzer snapped.

It took a moment before they had regained their composure, but they were all soon back in their seats as the boat continued its course to the south, Setzer becoming much more observant of his surroundings now. Clyde sat in silence, watching the sea very carefully. It was amazing how far he had come with his old friends. It seemed like it was months ago when he had recovered from the collapse of Kefka's tower, when in reality is was only a little over a week. The dangers they had been through made it seem so much longer.

"What is that peculiar noise?" said Siegfried, looking around quizzically.

"What n-"

A euphonious song suddenly came to their ears as the speedboat cruised along, the sounds of the waves and the rumbling motor completely drowned out by a pleasing sonata sung by a lovely feminine voice accompanied by a soft harp. At first, it was dull and hard to hear, but gradually became clearer to them and that much more pleasing. It was so powerful that they could think of absolutely nothing else but this song, beginning to sway with its rhythm as it grew in volume. Setzer did not even notice that the boat was slowing down, having completely let go of the controls and causing the throttle lever to slide back.

"It's so nice," said Gogo, lolling his head around.

"Very pretty…" Clyde mumbled.

As their ride began to coast along the ocean, they noticed something in the distance, straight ahead. Sitting upon a great rock was a beautiful singing woman playing the sweet tune of the harp, scantily clad in a loose assortment of blue cloth, revealing a great deal of her wondrous body. As they drew closer, the sight was far too alluring to look away, and the song in their ears seemed to be beckoning for them.

"She's so… beautiful… her voice is… it reminds me of Maria," Setzer mused.

"Such a wonderful song…" Siegfried said dreamily.

Edgar began to chuckle as his jaw grew slack, almost to the point of drooling as he goggled at the beauty on the rock. They all approached the bow of the boat to get a closer look, even as the boat waded ever closer to the captivating presence. All of them felt better than they had ever felt before… every single moment of joy in their life coming back to them right at that moment. They felt like the luckiest people in the world.

"Man… I think I'm in love," Locke hummed.

At that moment, Gogo felt a sudden sense of danger, snapping out of the music-induced trance. He looked at his comrades who were still swooning over the precious beauty playing her lovely song, but Gogo knew instantly what was wrong.

"No! Don't listen to it! It's Siren!" Gogo shouted in a high voice, covering his ears.

No one noticed Gogo's change in tone, or that he had even said anything for that matter. Their minds were set on the gorgeous woman.

"Setzer! Locke! Don't…"

In a moment of exasperated desperation, Gogo grabbed a hold of Setzer and shook him wildly, shoving him to the back of the boat as he protested aloud, still caught by the mesmerizing noise. As soon as Gogo grabbed the controls of the boat, the esper Siren looked up with a furious glare. All of their ears were suddenly filled with a terrible shrieking noise, completely replacing the pleasant melody.

"Aaaaah!" Clyde screamed, covering his ears just like the others.

Gogo ignored the piercing cacophony of noise as he engaged the boat into full throttle, turning the boat away from the rock. Siren let out a hideous scream as she reached out to the boat with her free hand, watching it zoom away. Before it could get much farther, a huge wave erupted from the water before them, forcing Gogo to turn sharply to avoid being capsized. As the echoing discord left their ears finally, Siren leapt into the air from her rock, floating above the water with a bright gold glow surrounding her body.

"What the hell is going on?!" Setzer shouted, completely dumbfounded.

The sea became a turbulent deathtrap as Siren continued the chaotic swelling of the waters, waving her hands wildly. Waves rolled over and across the boat as Gogo pressed forward, already taking on a significant amount of water.

"Is that Siren!?" Locke exclaimed.

"We have been deceived by her harmonious song!" Siegfried cried, feeling rather frightened by the unstable ocean beneath them.

Gogo steered the boat past a maze of jagged rocks, the water becoming even more violent. As they looked back, Siren still hovered over her rock, disappearing into the distance as they bumped and splashed along the rumbling ocean. Less than a minute later, everything became suddenly tranquil, as if no disturbance had ever taken place. The heroes looked around curiously, soaking wet from the water that was now absolutely calm. Gogo returned the boat to much lower speed, looking back the way they came just in case Siren gave pursuit, but seeing nothing but the orange horizon.

"Ok, what the hell was that about? She hypnotizes us with song… tries to kill us with the sea… and gives up just like that?" said Setzer.

"I find it better not to question the motives of our enemies," Edgar stated, shaking ocean water out of his long, braided hair.

"How did you get out of the trance though, Gogo?" Locke asked.

"I myself, do not know," he said simply.

"I can see Albrook," Clyde interrupted, pointing to the sight of the small port village not much farther away.

Setzer quickly retook his post at the boat controls and directed them towards the town, not wanting to waste anymore time contemplating why they were so fortunately spared out at sea. None of them were particularly interested in this topic, and agreed that Edgar had a good point. The more time spent questioning their foes was less time for the Empire to prepare.

"Let's just hope no one else decides to step in on our journey like that," said Locke.

"At least we fare better on land than over water," Clyde replied.

"Bah, I could've taken care of her with my tools," Edgar retorted.

"Regardless, we would not have stood a chance," said Gogo.

"You're just being cynical," said Edgar.

Their discussion was dropped there, and shortly afterwards they were setting foot onto Albrook's pier, Setzer tying the boat to the dock before joining his friends outside. The village was just as Clyde remembered it a week prior to this day, still quiet as ever and developing nicely.

"This village seems even quieter now that the imperials are gone," said Edgar.

"I think a lot of villages got quieter when Kefka started tearing the world apart with his Light of Judgment," Locke replied.

"Do you think we can make it to New Vector before nightfall?" asked Clyde, pointing at the pink evening sky.

"We will walk through the night. I'm not letting Terra down, Clyde," Edgar said sternly.

Was he implying that Clyde meant to let her down? _What a son of a bitch._

"Right… good idea," he mumbled in reply.

"Damn it though, we're not going to get very dry today," Locke complained, looking at his soaked jacket and wiping some water off his face with his bandana.

"At least you've got a small jacket," said Setzer.

"You should be so lucky," said Gogo, squeezing some heavy water from his robes.

"I hope that merchant was being truthful when he informed me of my armor's water protection," said Siegfried.

"Let's just get moving again! We can't stand around in this shady town and expect to get any better. I'm sure what hours are left in the day will be enough to dry," said Edgar.

"He's right, let's go," Clyde agreed, hoping to get on Edgar's good side for at least the next few hours.

With that, they completely bypassed the town of Albrook and began their trek to the northeast, hoping that this general direction would lead them to the capital city. Otherwise, they would be rather unfortunately lost in the wild of this barren landscape

"Ah, walking out blindly into the dangers of the wild. Reminds me of the days before we met you, Setzer," Locke commented.

"Heh, you were pretty fortunate to have heard of my infamy," Setzer replied with little modesty.

Clyde remembers only officially meeting Setzer in the World of Ruin, as the first time he set foot on the airship was when the Floating Continent fell to pieces, although he did know him by name in the World of Balance. It seemed that after Kefka's rise to power, the arrogance he so often heard of had left Setzer, which made him a much more favorable new ally at the time.

"Man, do you guys think Shadow would've helped us out in this hazardous time if he was still alive?" Locke asked.

Clyde couldn't believe Locke would think to ask a question like that at this time.

"Oh man, he'd be kicking ass along side us as usual," said Edgar with a grin.

"There's no way he'd turn his back on everything we went through," said Setzer.

"Indeed, Shadow was a noble fighter," Gogo added, catching a quick glance from Clyde.

_What the hell?_

"Your friends seem to speak very highly of this Shadow fellow," said Siegfried.

"Oh sorry, Siegfried… Clyde… we know you two never knew him, but if you did I'm sure you'd like him. At first glance he looked like a mean bastard with a mean dog, but when things started to get ugly in the world, he came through like a true hero. I still don't have any idea why he did what he did…" Locke trailed off.

"Yes, I was told that he remained behind on Kefka's tower for unknown reasons?"

"Pretty much," Edgar said with a solemn tone.

"But, hey… let's look at this way… wherever Shadow has gone, he's still watching over us, because we are his true friends," said Setzer.

"Well said," Gogo complimented.

Clyde fought hard to retain his silence, and to suppress whatever feelings of guilt were being brought out. Maybe wanting to die was selfish, and maybe he was no better then than he was now, hiding himself from his friends… but he did not want to live with that life anymore. Shadow was gone, and Clyde was there. He was a completely different entity now.

"You know, Terra was pretty quiet when they started talking about him at the ceremonial dinner the empire held for us… I'm pretty sure she had something for him," said Locke.

"Maybe so. They didn't seem to say much to each other though," said Edgar, somewhat resenting the thought of Terra with anybody else.

_When are they going to change the subject?!_

"Wait a minute," said Clyde, finally devising something to steer their discussion elsewhere.

"What is it?" Edgar asked somewhat impatiently.

"Geeda said that the two soldiers were 'devoured'. I think we should keep a sharper eye out, just in case his little pet hasn't left the area," he suggested.

"I thought that was a given…" Edgar said with a hint of vexation in his voice now.

"Well, you can't always take everything for granted," Locke said in Clyde's defense.

Suddenly, the ground right beside them burst open as a huge shape rose from beneath the earth, knocking them all of their feet. As heaps of dirt and rock battered them from above, they watched as a long black shape squirmed out of the giant hole in the ground, obscured by heavy dust.

"Why do we always get taken by surprise!?" Setzer growled.

As the dust cleared, the immense form of the esper Terrato towered over them, its tongue flickering madly.

"You bastard! You ruined my castle!" Edgar screamed vengefully.

Before he could even get to his feet to threaten the beast, he was knocked flat to the ground by its thick tail, hissing nastily. Each of them prepared their weapons (Gogo having recovered his black rod from the beach before) and watched patiently as Terrato began to circle around them while they stood defiantly before it.

"Good to see some familiar faces again," Gogo said acerbically.

Terrato swayed its head to the side, sending a wave-effect along its rock-like scaly body. When the ripple neared its tail, it threw its whole body to the ground, creating a massive tremor that began breaking the ground apart, causing the team to stumble around on the trembling earth. Edgar hastily ran forward and whipped out his powerful drill tool, running it deep into Terrato's stony hide. The esper roared in pain and was about to snap at Edgar with its powerful jaws, but Setzer ran around to its tail and initiated his special Slot ability, locking in on three diamonds in a row, releasing a bright assortment of flashing lasers from the ground and singing the beast's tail.

"You guys sure went ahead with that!" said Locke as he approached Terrato and began slashing madly with his long dagger, Siegfried and Clyde following closely.

Before they could deal any more damage, however, they were tossed back by yet another tremor, causing a wide split in the ground that separated them from the giant snake. Terrato looked at the newly created crevice for a moment, then to the team. With a loud roar, it made as if to dive across the small gap in the ground, but Edgar took a step forward with his handy Noise Blaster, sending a high, grating noise directed right at the monster. The intensity of this focused sound was so sharp that Terrato immediately twisted uncomfortably, feeling the effects instantly and falling short of its jump, slipping down into the abyss below, disappearing with a sonorous hiss.

"Nice work, Edgar… we sure are getting lucky today," said Locke, peering over the edge of the crevice to make sure that Terrato was surely gone.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about getting devoured now. Happy, Clyde?" said Edgar.

"Of course… let's not let this hold us back now. It's starting to get darker."

"Yeah, and I'm still wet," Setzer huffed.

"Oh get over it," Locke and Edgar said simultaneously, feeling just as miserable as he.

"I say, that was some extraordinary thinking, your majesty!" Siegfried called, trailing behind accidentally for a moment when the others had started walking.

"It almost seems like the espers are letting go too easy. Siren could have easily drowned us all… Terrato could've crushed us in an instant," said Gogo.

"Once again… enemies… motives… don't focus on them. Not important," Edgar repeated.

"This day has been pretty damn exhausting though," said Setzer.

"Amen to that," Locke concurred, raising an invisible glass as if to toast his statement.

"I think Geeda is just trying to toy with us. He knows exactly what we're doing, but he doesn't want to kill us just yet… he's just being annoying," said Clyde.

"Ah, and you know so much about how this guy thinks, do you?" Edgar shot.

"It's only an assumption."

Edgar replied with an arrogant scoff, following up with a stupid grin that made Clyde want to punch him harder than ever now. It was odd how Edgar spoke so highly of Shadow, yet did not seem to take to Clyde very warmly. But, with growing affections for Terra, that might be… _did he just admit to himself growing affections for Terra?_

"Avast! I do believe that mine eyes witness a light in the distance!" Siegfried said, pointing to the east.

Taking a sharp look in that direction, they all noticed several spots of light in that way, set against the background of the darkening sky, stars already becoming visible above their heads.

"Is it New Vector?" asked Edgar.

"It very well could be… let's press on!" said Locke, taking the lead towards the unknown haven.

_Author's Notes: What a day eh?__ This will be my last update for about two weeks, because I am going to camp during that time. But, never fear! I have the next chapter already written so that I can post it the moment I get back in two weeks time! Stay tuned, my noble readers!_


	26. The Fierce Battle

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXVI – The Fierce Battle**

Meanwhile, Terra presided over a well-deserved peace at the orphanage. Obviously, no one dared go outside until the Empire arrived with aid, but things were going quite well as people began making themselves at home. Some of the soldiers even began relating to the kids their stories of wonderful adventures they had taken before, much to their enjoyment. It was relieving for Terra to see everyone happy for once, especially after enduring so much since the world fell apart.

"Grandpa, do you really think they wanna hear _your_ boring stories?" Relm asked from the other side of the room as Strago began telling his own tales.

"One of these days you'll learn to appreciate the experiences of life so much that you'll tell all the little ones too, dear!"

"Strago certainly does have a point. You seem to already have a knack for storytelling anyway! I remember when you came to paint for me and you just couldn't stop talking," said Owzer with a smile.

"Well… maybe…" Relm replied, turting to Interceptor to ignore the two wiser men.

"Oh, Duane… could you go get the baby's blanket? He's getting fussy again," called Katarin, sitting in her favorite rocking chair with her child in arms.

"Sure thing, dear," Duane replied, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek before he left to search for the blanket.

Terra sat in her own chair next to Katarin, smirking at the lovely couple. It was refreshing to see such love in a troubled world, and she often wondered if she would ever find anything like it. For the longest time during the campaign against Kefka, she had worried about whether she was even capable of love after being used and manipulated by the evil Empire. Her father Maduin had fallen in love with a human so easily though… and there was little chance of Terra having a romance with an esper, besides the fact that they had all either disappeared from the world or gone mad under Thomas Geeda's influence. She know she did not love Clyde in the way that Celes loved Locke… but she was definitely attracted to him somehow.

"I hope the guys are ok," said Celes, peering through the cracks of the boards that had been nailed over the windows, as if hoping to find a sign of life outside.

"I'm sure they're doing excellently," said Strago, having just finished the story of Relm's rescue from a burning house.

"I know they'll get the job done," Terra said satisfyingly.

"Well, I just had a funny feeling that maybe Thomas Geeda is baiting them…"

"Bah, Geeda's just a-"

"Language, dear," Strago scolded before Relm could finish.

"I wasn't gonna say anything bad, gramps!"

"Wait… we're more divided than we've been before, making our numbers that much more vulnerable…" Terra realized.

"Quite right… who does he plan to go after though?" asked Owzer, a hint of worry to his voice as he looked around frantically.

"Well, nothing is going to get inside this building," Celes declared, standing stoutly before the bolted door.

Celes was then hurled back by a large explosion that shattered the door to pieces.

"She jinxed it!" a soldier cried.

As Celes slammed into the back wall and collapsed to the floor, Terra immediately drew her sword, Strago and Relm preparing their weapons as well. Interceptor tensed up and snarled as Thomas Geeda set foot into the room backlit by the moon outside, a sly grin on his face.

"Your overconfidence makes me laugh, General Chere," he said calmly.

Terra leapt out at him, vigorously swinging her sword. The children all screamed and ran out of the room to hide elsewhere in the small building, along with the village workers who were complete cowards.

"Soldiers, stand your ground!" ordered the officer in charge of the Imperial squad in the orphanage.

Geeda effortlessly blocked and parried Terra's strikes, dodging a blast of Strago's Aqua Breath magic just narrowly. With a violent slash, he sent Terra sprawling to the ground, having cut her across the midsection.

"It is a pity for you that you uncovered my intentions so late into the game!" he taunted.

"Soldiers, attack!" the officer yelled.

The unarmed soldiers quickly grabbed the various assortment of tools and spare parts scattered about the room. Assaulting him with hammers, wrenches, and 2x4's, Geeda simply laughed as he knocked them all to the floor with a blast of Flare magic. He then finished the job by petrifying every single Imperial unit.

"Thunga!" Strago shouted.

Thomas jumped out of the way as a lightning bolt came spiraling down from the ceiling, frying the floor he previously stood on. He then turned his sights upon the old man, slicing through the air as he approached ominously.

"It is funny how you depended upon putting your fighters in one group, your mages in the other… and your most incompetent people in the last," he laughed.

As his blade came inches away from the terrified Strago, Tom Geeda screamed out as a sharp pain pierced his leg. Looking down, he saw Interceptor with his teeth locked tightly around his ankle. Geeda kicked madly in an attempt to shake the angry canine off, raising his sword to impale the creature. Before he could do so, however, Relm hit him hard in the back with her large Rainbrow Brush, sending him tumbling across the floor.

"Don't you even try to hurt my doggy, you asshole!" she screamed.

In quick response, Geeda kicked Interceptor in the face while still on the ground, causing the dog to yelp and retreat. He then proceeded to greatly weaken the girl with a successful Demi spell that knocked her senseless.

"Do not mess with me, you little brat," he growled, standing up quickly.

Thomas approached the frail form of Relm as she attempted to crawl away in fear, having lost the energy to make another attack. He grinned sinisterly while scraping his sword across the floor in his approach.

"Not so brave now?" he said coldly when she became trapped in a corner, her eyes wide in terror.

A loud yell sounded behind him as Owzer came running into the battle. As Tom turned around, Owzer brought a chair down right on his head and knocked him up against the wall. He was stupefied just long enough to Relm to run across the room and regain her strength. But Owzer was not so fortunate enough to dodge Geeda's Fira spell, which worked nicely in sending the fat man sprawling.

"Thunga!" cried Strago, attempting to zap Geeda again, but finding that his magic unfortunately failed him.

"These battles seem to get so repetitious. Perhaps I should refrain from toying around with you idiots…"

"You may destroy us, but you will never succeed in destroying this world!" Strago hollered.

"Maybe so, but finishing you will be a start! Ult-"

Thomas was never able to conjure up the ultimate magic spell before Celes threw herself against him her shoulder impacting hard on his chest and knocking him back against the wall. As Geeda lunged forward with his sword, she blocked immediately with her own. The two began to duel across the damaged room with furious action, the wounded Terra watching helplessly from by the broken door with the cool night air breezing by, Owzer unconscious, Relm huddled with Interceptor in another corner of the room, and Strago doing his best to call upon his magical powers.

"I must admit, you are quite talented in the art of swordplay. The Empire must have taught you well… how does it feel to have retained knowledge from such an _evil_ organization?" said Geeda.

"Evil or good only depends on what the user makes of his or her power," Celes replied coolly before stumbling back by a powerful strike from her opposition.

"Flare!" Tom shouted, pushing Celes backward over a fallen chair with his explosive magic, her sword sliding away out of reach.

"Cheap bast-"

Geeda reached down and backhanded her across the face, shutting her up. She reacted by kicking him in the groin. Thomas doubled over from the sharp pain, wincing as he stumbled over to the side, giving Celes time to crawl over to her sword. Unfortunately, the effects of Flare's power had weakened her greatly and kept her from getting to her feet.

"You bitch…" Thomas gasped.

"Just leave us alone, Tom…" Terra moaned, clutching her bleeding wound.

"I am afraid I cannot do that. You see, by meddling with my affairs, you have placed yourself in the precarious position of forcing me to destroy all resistance," he replied before spinning around and cutting Strago across his chest as he attempted to sneak up from behind.

"Agh!" the old man wheezed, falling to the ground.

"It is a simple principle, really. Kefka did not seem to understand that waiting for your opponents to seek you out is certain doom. He must have realized your efforts to restore the world to its former glory, but he did nothing. Instead, he chose to await your arrival and taunt you with his god-like magic… ultimately he met his end, yes?"

"Just go away!" Relm cried.

"Perhaps I should hunt down your little children, first… this is a rather small structure and would make it very easy for me to locate them quickly," he said, as if thinking aloud.

"Don't you dare go near those children!" Terra shouted, recoiling as the pain intensified from her high emotion.

"If you had not failed to protect them, perhaps this would not be quite the problem you see it as," Geeda answered with a smile.

"Terra is not to blame for your villainous disgraces!" Strago coughed.

"Maybe not. It could very well be the fact that your other friends are being held up in New Vector. I daresay I gave them a bit of false hope when Terrato and Siren feigned their failures."

"You're toying with them too?" Celes gasped.

"Of course! Why else would I have orchestrated the events that would lead to your little 'team' being split apart? I knew that when Ultros attacked this pitiful village, the soldiers would send out for help, and that the children would never leave until the Empire arrived… otherwise Ultros would make sure they stayed inside. I _also_ knew that it was only a matter of time before Terra would have the urge to check up on things. I did not expect Ultros to be defeated, but it worked to my advantage that this village was still helpless without the Empire's aid, which led to the success of your fragmented team!"

"As I said… you may destroy us, but you will not succeed in your evil plot!" Strago grumbled, covering his chest wound.

"My dear fool, who is going to stop me!?"

"Someone will… eventually, someone will," Celes said softly, too weakened to move now.

"And I shall await the day that they reveal themselves into such vulnerability! Now… I think we've done enough talking. Your time in this world has come to an end."

"You can't win," Terra whispered.

"I beg to differ! Ult-"

"Whoa, what's going on here!?" called a shocked voice from the outside.

Thomas Geeda looked out the entrance, bewildered.

"Who the hell are you?" he spat, marching outside with his sword ready.

"Oh shit! Sorry man… I don't want any trouble!"

"That voice… gah, Lone Wolf…" Celes said in disbelief.

"Get out of here then, you petty thief!" Tom growled.

"Sure thing, buddy!" Lone Wolf stammered, dashing away from the town of Mobliz into the darkness of the night, unlucky in scoring any loot that day.

"Now, without any further interruptions…" said Geeda as he reentered the room.

"Mhph… Revenge!" Strago cried, shutting his eyes tightly.

At that moment, a long slash streaked across Tom Geeda's chest, knocking him senseless and sending him tumbling back outside in shock as blood dribbled over his uniform. The others looked outside in surprise, still weak, but hopeful that Strago's sudden recollection of his Blue Magic had disabled Thomas.

"Argh! You old bastard! I'll just let you go down with the building!" Geeda screamed from outside, staggering to his feet with a bleeding chest.

"No…" Terra whimpered.

"Quake!" he roared, sending the ground into a violent trembling that began to shake the orphanage apart.

At that moment, Duane peeked his head around a corner and saw that Geeda had completely disappeared.

"Katarin, hurry! Get the kids outside! Someone else help me get these other guys out!" he called back.

Immediately after, as the supports of the building started to give way, Katarin came rushing out of the room with all of the children in front of her, clutching her own baby tightly. Behind her was Duane and the remaining workers, who carefully lifted up all of the heroes (three of them having to hold Owzer up at once) and carried them out of the crumbling building. At the last minute, they returned for the petrified forms of the soldiers, barely heaving them out into the night before the ground split wide open and swallowed the building whole. Then, all was still.

"Oh my goodness… who was that man!?" Katarin cried, hugging her baby closely.

"Oooh…" Terra moaned, clutching her stomach as it continued to bleed.

"Shit! We've gotta get them help!" said Duane.

"Don't we have potions?!" asked Relm, feeling slightly reinvigorated now that Geeda had departed.

"I'm don't know how effective they will be!" Duane answered in a panic.

"Hold on… I might be able to muster some power,' Celes said weakly, crawling on her hands and knees towards Terra, sword clutched tightly in hand.

"W-what are you gonna do?" Duane asked.

"Don't worry. Bring Strago over here too," she replied, kneeling down over her injured friend and setting her weapon to the side.

The workers quickly raised Strago and set down his weak body next to Terra.

"Grandpa, you're going to be alright!" Relm sobbed.

"I know dear… I know," he said with a soft smile, grimacing in pain soon after, however.

"Come on, please work… Cure!" Celes shouted, placing her hands over both Terra and Strago.

"Nothing's happening!" Duane shouted.

"I know! Cure!" she repeated.

"Hurts…" Terra moaned, her head lolling from side to side.

"Cure! Esuna! Regen! Cura! Curaga!" Celes shouted.

"Interceptor, what've you got there, boy?" Relm wondered, noticing that Interceptor had just come back from digging in a pile of nearby rubble, holding something in his mouth.

She held out her hand and he dropped it immediately. It was a tubular vial filled with bright orange liquid.

"Ah! Celes! Here!" she said quickly, shoving the item into Celes' hands.

"An elixir? How did you?"

Celes did not bother to wait for a reply, as she already began to pour half into Terra's mouth, using the other half for Strago. This was sure to work well, and she smiled as the wounds immediately began to heal, sealing up perfectly and rejuvenating her friends.

"Oh! It worked!" Duane exclaimed.

"Gramps!" Relm said with glee, hugging him tightly around the neck as he sat up.

"Ack! Hello dear! Nice to see you too!" he choked.

"Thank you Celes," Terra said with a satisfied smile.

"Relm's the one to thank here," Celes replied, nodding towards the little girl who continued to cling to her 'grandfather'.

"It was lucky that Interceptor found it!" Relm called.

"Ooh, my aching head!" Owzer moaned as began to come to.

"You alright there, buddy?" one of the workers asked, setting his hand on Owzer's shoulder as he staggered to his feet.

"Oh, quite fine, my good man! Just a little sore now," he answered with a wide smile.

"Miss Terra!" screamed one of the children, running up and hugging her tightly.

The rest of the kids soon followed and crowded around her, forcing Celes to retreat from the area for a moment, watching happily as things began to sort out at last.

"Oh, it's ok guys… I'm alright now, and you are all safe," Terra said with tears in her eyes, clutching as many of them as she could.

"Hey, uh… how are we going to help these guys out?" asked one a carpenter as he looked down upon the petrified imperials.

"We'll find a way," said Celes.

The moment of reprieve lasting only a short while longer when something suddenly splashed out by the ocean. Then, to everyone's horror, a dark mass of purple tentacles shot out of the water, wriggling around in the air and Ultros resurfaced, a large scar over his right eye, eerily lit by the light of the full moon. The octopus bellowed deeply from its wide-open mouth and began to crawl steadily out of the water and onto the beach, using its tentacles to pull itself along.

"Oh my god," Terra breathed.

"W-we have to flee!" a worker screamed.

"This cannot be happening," Celes said in disbelief, holding her sword close.

Ultros continued to creep along the ground, its tentacles beginning to reach towards the group, who slowly backed away from the terrifying monster. Then, out of the darkness of the night came an increasing whistling from the sky. Moments later, two large explosions hammered into Ultros' body. Everyone looked up to see two dark shapes descending from the shadowy clouds. Two imperial airships made their swift landing on the ground, creating a large cloud of dust.

From the airship closest to Ultros came a large mass of soldiers, shouting their battle cries as they swarmed upon the monster with their assorted weapons. From the second airship, Setzer peered over the edge, looking very disheveled and missing his characteristic jacket.

"Everyone on board! Let's go! Go ahead and grab those petrified guys too! Hurry up now!" he shouted.

Duane and Katarin wasted no time in ushering the kids towards the vessel, helping them climb the sturdy, iron ladders. Following behind were the workers, who passed the petrified bodies of the soldiers up to one another, tossing them onto the deck. Coming up last was Owzer, followed by Relm and Strago, and Celes and Terra.

"And we're outta here!" Setzer said triumphantly, launching the airship up into the sky while the Empire remained in the ruined town of Mobliz, battling the furious Ultros.

_Author's Notes: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I like it a lot, and I hope you do too._


	27. The Seventh Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXVII – The Seventh Dream**

When an airship landed just outside the village of Valorin in the middle of the night, naturally everybody became curious. The civilians watched in astonishment as the heroes came climbing down the metal ladders, looking absolutely exasperated. They were followed by a group of children and construction workers, who seemed to be absolutely dumbfounded. And those who were sleeping at the time of this disruption thought it absolutely ridiculous that so much commotion was happening.

"Check it out! A real airship!" said a stunned individual.

"Hey! An airship! When did you- what the hell happened to you guys!?" exclaimed Sabin, noticing that the group who had traveled to New Vector looked beaten to hell.

"I'll tell you later," Locke grumbled, chugging down a bottle of potion like a shot of alcohol as he bypassed Sabin.

"Come on kids, we'll get you somewhere safe," said Terra, leading the confused children into the village.

"Yo, bro! What's going on?!" Sabin called to Edgar, who was sporting a fresh cut just above his eye, following Terra's kids and leading the confused workers.

"Just chill out for a second, brother… we gotta get these people somewhere to stay!" he said hurriedly.

Clyde, Siegfried, Strago, Relm, and Owzer did not so much as glance at Sabin as he attempted to get their attention. Taking up the rear was the mildly healed Celes and Gogo, who were accompanying the recently restored soldiers who had been turned to stone by Geeda's powers. Sabin watched as everyone passed him by without a glance, completely ignoring his vocal curiosity.

"Is anyone going to answer my questions?!"

"Uwaoo! Questions!" Gau added, coming up behind Sabin.

"Later!" Celes called from a distance.

When 'Later' finally came, the mayor of Valorin had emptied out a partially completed shelter and supplied the children, Duane, and Katarin with that as their lodging. The workers from Mobliz were re-hired as workers for Valorin, hoping to contribute well to the quick progress already made on the village since its inception and were given quarters in the construction lodges. As for the soldiers, they seemed to be reacting rather poorly to the after-effects of lengthy petrification, and would take a while to adjust, getting some rest in the only free space left… the mayor's office. The heroes, however, convened inside the cleared out shop that had become their own place to stay.

"So, battle report…" said Locke tiredly, holding a hand to his forehead as he leaned over in his seat.

"That man is a son of a bitch," Owzer said abruptly.

"Hear, hear!" Strago exclaimed.

"Tell us about it. He had us going for a while when Siren and Terrato attacked us and retreated. Then, once we set foot in New Vector, Siren comes back and starts kicking our asses," Setzer explained.

"How did you defeat her?" asked Cyan.

"Dumb luck," Edgar answered.

"She ended up being crushed by a bridge… destroyed because of her own magic," said Locke.

"A fortunate end for us… an unfortunate one for her," said Siegfried.

"It was quite odd, really. I was certain our heads would explode from that terrible noise she made," said Gogo.

"And, technically Terrato didn't 'retreat'…"

"Oh please, there is no way he would have stayed in the ground like that. We discussed this!"

"Well, I got slapped, Terra nearly got her stomach sliced open, and Strago had a huge slash across his chest. Owzer was knocked out, Relm was hit with a Demi spell, Interceptor was kicked in the face…"

"That bastard slapped you?!" said Locke, looking up immediately.

Clyde winced at the thought of his pet being kicked by Thomas Geeda, giving him one more reason to absolutely hate the man, much like how Locke felt about his girlfriend being handled in such a manner.

"Are you ok now, Terra?" asked Edgar worriedly, reaching over and tenderly placing his hand upon her shoulder.

"I'm fine, thank you… just a little shaky from everything that's happened," she said with a smile, kindly removing his hand.

"Needless to say, we all went through hell," said Strago.

"Heh, sucks for you guys," Sabin said with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm sure your day was wonderful, lounging around and drinking out of a pineapple!" Edgar spat.

"Actually, it was a coconut."

Edgar smirked and threw a small rock from the floor at his brother. Finally, the mood was beginning to lighten up a little. They definitely needed it after what that day put them through, and the stress of the previous hours seemed to gradual float away as they began to get accustomed with the company of their friends.

"It's good to have you back safe now, kupo!" said Mog.

"Ugah! Safe home!" Umaro grunted.

"It is definitely good to be back here… but I am going to have to find myself a new jacket," said Setzer.

"And that is definitely something we can save for a new day!" Locke said loudly, standing up and slapping Setzer on the shoulder.

"Going to bed so early Locke? I thought this party was just getting started!" Edgar joked.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm pretty sure I need to sleep off that damn noise that is still stuck in my head," he grumbled in reply.

"Hey Celes, why not read him a bedtime story?" said Sabin with a wide smile.

"What a great idea! Can I take one from _your_ room?" she quipped, inciting laughter from the others.

"Way to fall into that one, Meathead!" said Relm.

"I say, you sure do know how to brighten things up around here, even in such dire times!" Owzer said in delight.

"Yes, cheerio to that!" Setzer cheered.

"Sure thing, time for bed though, kids," said Locke, clapping his hands together.

"He's right… who knows when Geeda will come next? We need to be ahead of our game at all times," Edgar said as he stood.

Soon, everyone began to stand and stretch out, many of them yawning at once. Locke was the first to head upstairs to the second floor of the building, Celes following behind, earning some curious looks from the others. The tenants of the second floor, which consisted of those two, along with the Figaro brothers, Setzer, Cyan, Owzer, and Terra, made their way after the conspicuous couple, waving a quick goodnight to everyone on the ground floor, who had sleeping bags spread out along the store.

"Well, today has certainly been exciting, and now I bid you all goodnight!" said Strago, marching over to his spot and immediately falling asleep as soon as he lay down, dealing out heavy snores that always caused Interceptor to yelp quietly.

Siegfried, who refused to remove his armor, had an odd sleeping habit of sitting down, Clyde noticed. He never slept on a bed or on any flat surface… always in a chair, looking ridiculously uncomfortable, but claiming that it was how he always did it. Umaro and Mog took up a spot close to the door, the latter being kept warm by the fur of the yeti. Relm slept with Interceptor by her side in the corner, and Gau preferred the cool night air of the outside, something he had grown used to on the Veldt. Now, it was a matter of finding Gogo a spot, and Clyde was perfectly willing to give his up for the night.

"You are very kind Clyde, I appreciate your offer… but are you positive?" Gogo asked, sounding rather normal with his whispery voice in the quiet atmosphere.

"Positive. Just take it. I was hoping to go up to the roof and think a little bit anyway. Might as well sleep up there too," Clyde answered.

"Of course," Gogo said with a nod as Clyde turned to head upstairs.

"I know it's you," he said quickly, causing Clyde to stop and turn his head quizzically.

"What?"

"I know who you are, Clyde."

"Oh really? Then, who am I?" Clyde asked with a peculiar grin, facing Gogo fully once again.

"Hah. You are he… the mercenary assassin. The infamous Shadow… one who would slit his mother's throat for a nickel," Gogo said matter-of-factly.

"And what makes you think that?"

Clyde wasn't sure if Gogo was just playing him, or if he had a legitimate way of knowing… either way, he was interested in what he had to say.

"Please… I am a master of the simulacrum, and I have special ways of feeling people. It's how I am able to use the powers of my allies, by knowing what is deep inside them. I found it curious when I felt a presence, that I thought was dead, enter my domain."

"Very astute. Does it surprise you?"

"Not in the least. I had a feeling you were unhappy with what you were. Why else would you subject yourself to almost certain death on that tower? But, you do realize how much your friends care about you, yes? You are obviously aware that your hidden identity is rather selfish of you to play off."

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about that…" Clyde said sadly, looking down at the ground.

"It's ok Clyde. I'm sure you will reveal yourself at the right moment… just be prepared for several shocked reactions," Gogo said with a small chuckle.

"So, this secret is safe with you?"

"Of course! Besides…" and suddenly, Gogo's voice changed into that of _a woman_, "I've got a secret of my own."

With that, Gogo took _her_ spot on the floor and gave Clyde a quick wave before retiring to sleep. Clyde, however, stood there dumbfounded for what seemed like minutes… staring at the moonlit wall of the shop in silence. Of all the anomalies he had witnessed within the past week, this was certainly at the top of the list now, being the most unexpected thing he had ever witnessed.

"A woman…" he gasped, turning around slowly and proceeding upstairs, where he would climb out of a window just past the last step and onto the flat roof of the shop.

It took him a moment to get over the fact that, not only did Gogo know him inside and out, but Gogo was a woman… something he honestly never saw coming. Taking up a position right next to the roof edge, he stared at the ground idly, running that moment in his head several times now. Did anyone see that coming? Maybe he was a presumptuous fool for assuming that Gogo was male, but it just seemed that it was the natural presence he… she gave.

"I can't believe it," he whispered to himself.

"Can't believe what?" said a soft voice behind him.

Clyde whirled around and yanked his sword from the scabbard. He eased his guard, however, when he realized it was Terra, having climbed up in the very same manner, smiling at him in the moonlight… looking radiantly beautiful and so peaceful. Oh how he… _what?!_ Tossing the daydreaming out of his head, he blinked a few times and gave her a quick smile.

"N-nothing. What brings you up here, Terra?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, I don't feel that tired, really. I mean, even after what we've all been through, I just don't feel like sleeping," she said, coming closer.

"Oh, right… yes."

"Why are you up here, Clyde?" she asked.

"Ah, well… I just like sleeping outside it seems. Kind of wanted to come here to think," he explained.

"Mmm. Mind if I join you?"

He was expecting that. What was his answer though? Did he mind? Terra's company was one of the most soothing sensations in the world… but he couldn't help but worry. What if something developed between them? What if she ended up just like Julia? What if she found out he wasn't who everyone thought he was? What if… too many questions!

"Not at all," he said quickly.

_Damn._ What did he just get himself into?

"Alright," she said, continuing to smile.

Terra casually approached him and sat next to him on the right, dangling her feet over the edge and kicking gently in the air. She turned to him, still smiling… looking positively gorgeous with her delicate features and light green hair lit by the moon… pale, but in a way that suggested innocence and grace.

"So, what are you thinking about?" she asked.

Really, his thoughts had completely left the idea of Gogo's gender and were now completely focused on Terra. However, in order to avoid any furthered awkwardness between them, he had to think of something else quickly.

"Ah… just thinking about what we've been put through on this journey," he replied.

"Mm, yes… it certainly is different this time around."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when we were battling the Empire, I was completely different. I didn't know who I was, what I wanted… I had low self-esteem, no self-worth. I was just confused. But now, I feel like I know what's going on… and I feel like I'm really doing something for the world."

"Mm. I never would've thought that I would be caught up in all of this, being the son of a merchant."

"Hey, you've been a great help though. I think I forgot to thank you for saving me this morning…"

"It had to be done," he replied coolly, never used to accepting compliments.

"Heh, you're such a mystery," she said with a giggle.

"Er, how so?"

"Well, you kind of just came out of the blue, didn't you? It's funny how you basically appeared from nowhere and helped us out from the very beginning of this. You were the first one to fight an esper, even."

"Oh, yeah… I guess funny things just happen like that. But, I'm glad fortune smiled upon me and led me to you guys," he said with a smile of his own.

"Fortune… maybe. Perhaps it could be fate?"

Now, Terra looked at him very seriously, her eyes gazing into his own. She knew that Clyde was nervous in her presence, but when she looked into his eyes completely for the first time… there was a valor and fierceness there that was so appealing. In the company of their team, he was a quiet soldier, and in the heat of battle he was an impressive warrior. But as they continued to survey each other, she felt like she understood the real Clyde… a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his desire, a man who understood what it meant to be a hero, and a man who knew how to love and protect… maybe. Was this her attraction conjuring these ideas, or was it what she really felt? Was Clyde everything she wanted him to be, after setting eyes upon this handsome young man who happened to set foot into Mobliz with her old friends? Was Clyde meant to be with them, to help them, to fight with them… to be with her?

What was Terra thinking right now? What did she see when she looked into his dark eyes? Hell, what did he see when he looked into her eyes? Did he see the once troubled young lady with an odd parentage? Did he see a strong girl who was gifted by the genes of an esper? Terra was so much more mysterious to him than he was to her, especially because of his former persona. As Shadow, he isolated himself from his allies nearly all the time, and never became personal with his comrades. But, as usual, that night aboard the imperial ship to Thamasa kept coming to his mind… the night that Terra actually thought to ask him for advise, and the most he could tell her was to 'look within'. How cliché was that?

Unexpectedly, Terra slowly reached out her hand, resting it on top of his. This immediately sent a huge shiver down Clyde's spine, and he felt incredibly warm now, even in the cool night breeze. His first reaction, being caught by surprise, was to quickly pull his hand away. But, after a moment he began to relax and kept it there, letting her lovely fingers stroke his own.

"Terra… I-"

"Yes?"

"I think we should just get some sleep," he said hastily, carefully bringing his hand back.

Terra's sudden disappointment was obvious, but she handled it well and nodded with closed eyes. Without another word, she got to her feet and returned to the window, warily climbing back inside and returning to her place on the second floor. Clyde continued to sit alone in silence before he felt conscious thought return to his head.

_What the hell is wrong with you? She just made a move, and you completely shut her down! What an idiot! _Why couldn't he allow attachment in his life? Was he afraid of commitment or something? Was he still worried about Terra ending up like Julia? He had to put that behind him, or else he would never succeed like he wanted to in life. He sincerely hoped that this did not hurt his relations with Terra. There was no way he could let that happen.

"Dammit, why can't life be more simple?" he muttered to himself before lying back on the stony, uncomfortable roof and shutting his eyes… drifting off to sleep.

Clyde found himself walking through a dark cavern. It seemed almost familiar to him, but he did not know why. Strange noises echoed through the rocky passage… muffled screams, explosions, something like the sound of war. Soon, he came across a large open area in the caves, the noise ceasing and him seeing something over in the corner of his eye. He quickly dashed over to this curiosity and passed through a small archway, looking upon something that was now incredibly familiar… Locke, Edgar, Celes, and himself (as Shadow) fighting the almighty Master Pug, a small, blue lizard-like creature dressed in a shabby brown robe, wielding a large butcher knife in one hand, and a lantern in the other.

"How can something so small pack that much of a punch?!" Edgar shouted, shooting wildly with his Auto Crossbow.

"Good question, but lets just worry about killing _it_ before it kills _us_!" Locke replied, swiping at it with the powerful sword Illumina.

"What the hell is going on? Why am I seeing this?!" Clyde shouted.

The battle continued as if he wasn't even there. Then, he realized that he technically was not there, as this was only a dream… just a dream spawned by his memory. He watched as the fight played out, finding it interesting to watch a scene he had experienced, from a completely different point of view.

"Flare!" Celes called, blasting the Master Pug and seemingly subduing it before a large mass of blue comets came raining down from above.

"Shit!" Edgar exclaimed, being tossed back by an explosion at his feet.

Clyde remembered this. Right as the bastard was finished off by Celes, it gave them a surprise counter attack that nearly killed them all. They were so fortunate to have a large cache of supplies on them. The four of them lay crumpled on the ground weakly, Master Pug having vaporized into thin air after his defeat. Before Clyde could watch the scene unfold, his surroundings began to vibrate and flicker until he was sent into pitch darkness.

"Alright, what do you want now?" he called out in his sleep, looking around calmly.

"You seem to have passed your talent of cheating death on to your friends," came a deep voice from the darkness.

"Yeah, maybe we're all just lucky like that," Clyde replied.

"You will find, in the coming days, that Death will not be far behind you, fool. I will watch your every move and strike when the time is right."

"And I'll be waiting for you," Clyde answered with a resolute coldness.

"How could anyone blame me?" echoed the voice of a woman, startling Clyde.

"What the hell?"

"Today we dine as well!" shouted the voice of a young boy.

"What is going on here?!" Clyde shouted.

"You must learn to love yourself again…" said another woman, much younger than the previous voice.

"Who the?"

"Perhaps you are going insane…" came the familiar deep voice.

"I am NOT going insane! It's just a dream… nothing can hurt me in my dreams!"

"Maybe not. If only I could instill a little more anger and despair within you…"

"To hell with you Thomas!" Clyde roared.

Suddenly, Clyde found himself awake in the morning… but falling from the roof of the shop. He looked down in a panic and saw the unsuspecting Umaro standing absent-mindedly right below him. With a loud crash, he landed hard on the yeti's broad shoulders, causing both of them to hit the dirt in a heap.

"Ugh… sorry about that Umaro…"

"Ugah… me back hurt…"

Owzer and Relm immediately came running outside from the shop.

"What happened?!" cried Owzer.

"Fell from the roof," Clyde moaned as he staggered to his feet, feeling an incredible pain surge through his legs, making him unable to move very far before collapsing again.

"What were you doing on the roof?!" asked Relm, looking at him like he was an idiot… which he kind of was for sleeping so close to the edge.

Interceptor quickly came forward and started sniffing Clyde all over, attempting to lick his former master's face.

"Ah! No! Bad dog!" Clyde said hastily, hoping that no one else noticed the affection we received from such a defensive animal.

"Doggy likes you?" Umaro said quizzically, getting to his own feet with little effort.

"Aah, come on Interceptor! Inside boy!" Relm called quickly, pulling the dog away from Clyde and taking him back into the shop.

"Do you need assistance, Sir Clyde?" asked Owzer.

"Well, I could use a potion or-"

Suddenly, Clyde felt himself being raised in the air by Umaro's massive hands.

"Ugah! Take to magic lady!" he grunted, carrying Clyde into the shop.

"Nevermind, Sir Owzer!" Clyde yelled back as he was taken upstairs, getting a slight chuckle from Owzer.

"Why on earth would he be falling from the roof like that, though? I must say, Sir Clyde is quite a risk-taker," Owzer thought aloud.

_Author's Notes: Don't worry, you guys will get your Clyde/Terra over time… but obviously not without a bit of trouble, yes? Oh, and I'm sorry to say, but Thomas Geeda is going to remain pretty mysterious for most of this tale. It won't be until the end that we truly get to understand his motives and who he is. But, he will certainly have more fun messing with the crew, and will gradually become more sinister and desperate to have them eradicated from existence. It will be quite fun to see the events unfold, yes?_


	28. Into the Sky

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXVIII – Into the Sky**

Celes was not awake; who was the first person Umaro looked for. Fortunately, Terra was. But even though she showed genuine concern for Clyde's accident, there was an apparent tension between them now… as if she was forcing herself to act concerned while casting her cure magic, which seemed to work for the first time in forever to her.

"How do you feel now?" she asked.

"Much better… thank you Terra."

"Mhm, just don't go jumping off anymore roofs! Now, if you will excuse me…"

"Yes! We leave!" said Umaro, leaving the room rather noisily.

"Hey Terra…" Clyde began.

"Let's not talk, Clyde. I think Locke wanted to speak to you anyway, and he's out in the village."

Clyde nodded submissively and departed Terra's company, feeling somewhat remorseful for his idiocy last night. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad just to let the intimacy of the moment take over. Of course, this wouldn't even have been a problem if Clyde had not decided so long ago to 'kill his emotions'. Now that he was trying to get some emotion back into him, it was making his personal life a little difficult.

"Hey! Using the stairs now? What a great idea!" said Relm.

"Aren't you a clever one?" Clyde said sarcastically.

"Oh, you knows I'm just messin' with you!" she replied sweetly, giving him her best smile.

"Yeah, yeah kid. Oh, and…" Clyde looked around the shop quickly, finding that everyone was gone, to his great fortune, "Gogo knows it's me."

"Nothing gets past him!"

"Yes indeed," he said with a smirk.

"There he is!" said a voice outside.

Clyde turned to see Locke entering the shop.

"I've been looking for you Clyde. Let's talk," he said before leaving the store and waiting out on the dirt street.

"Wonder what he wants…" said Relm.

Clyde followed Locke outside and planted himself right before him, very curious as to what they were going to discuss.

"I need to know what you did with that loot from the train," he said suddenly.

"W-what?" said Clyde, taken by surprise… he thought that this was going to be something serious.

"Edgar is getting really intense about it now, and I think it's just because of all the shit we're going through. I think that if we can find a way to get back what was stolen, he'll chill out a bit."

Clyde couldn't believe this… was he really _that_ worried about getting those valuables back? There were so many more important things going on, and Edgar was thinking about a little train theft…

"It's in Owzer's house at Jidoor," Clyde whispered, noticing that Celes was approaching.

"Thanks a lot man. We'll make a stop there soon and devise a plan, alright? Good talk!" he said with a wink and a hearty pat on the shoulder before rushing over to Celes and giving her a 'good morning' kiss on the cheek.

"What was that about?" asked Relm, Interceptor tagging along as she appeared right beside Clyde.

"Edgar wants the stolen loot from the train back, and Locke wants to make a plan about getting it to him… without knowing that either of us were specifically involved, even though I'm pretty sure he knows Locke was present."

"Uh-oh… hope you don't get busted!" she giggled.

"Just make sure _you_ don't say anything."

"Hey, my mouth isn't that big! I just like to annoy Meathead and his Loverboy brother!"

Inteceptor barked as if to agree.

"Heh, even Interceptor agrees!"

"I guess so. I'm impressed that you've handled him so well."

"Thanks! He's such a cute doggy!" she said, hugging the dog tightly around the neck.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded across the sky. Looking towards the south, Clyde noticed a small, fiery shape rising along the horizon.

"Oh, shit."

Siegfried came running out of the diner, looking around curiously until he noticed it as well.

"'Tis the bird made of fire!" he exclaimed.

"What!?" came the startled voice of Locke, watching as the orange and red shape drew closer.

"That's not good," said Relm.

"We have to get out of here now! We can't let it attack the town. We need to get it to follow us! SETZER!" Locke shouted.

"Yo!" came Setzer's reply, who came rushing from behind a building with two suggestively dressed females... a peculiar sight in a partially-completed village.

"Lose the women and get the airship started! Phoenix is coming!"

"Aw man… sorry ladies, but I gotta jet!"

Chaos ensued as the heroes rounded each other up, ordering the people of the village to get inside their homes and stay inside. They all rushed to climb aboard the airship, where Setzer waited patiently with the engines roaring and ready to go, looking a little less than prepared without his favorite jacket.

"Are we missing anyone?" called Cyan.

"Terra is still in her room I think! I'll get her!" Clyde answered, running into the shop.

"Terra!" he yelled.

"What is it?" she asked as she came down the stairs curiously, sensing the urgency in his voice.

"We've got to get out of here now! Let's get to the airship!" he said hurriedly, grabbing her by the hand and beginning to lead her out.

Before they stepped outside, however, she carefully squirmed her hand out of his grip and made a mad dash for the ship on her own, Clyde following close behind with a huge sense of rejection occluding his mind at the moment. But, as soon as he landed on the deck of the imperial airship, he only thought about getting through this in one piece… or at least better off than they were the last time Phoenix was chasing them.

"And we're off!"

As soon as Setzer lifted the vessel to the sky, Phoenix halted right before it, cawing sonorously and flapping its flaming red wings. Setzer didn't stop for a thought and immediately launched it into full throttle, soaring right towards the large esper. It gave a distressed squawk as the ship forced it out of the way, taking off in a burst of speed… but Phoenix was soon on its tail.

"This ship is even faster than the Falcon, and it still has a good pursuit on us!" Setzer said worriedly, looking behind him every few seconds while he steered them across the morning sky.

"Just do your best, man! We all have faith in you!" Locke shouted over the howling wind.

"Sure feels good to be flying again though!"

"Kupo! Here it comes!" cried Mog.

Setzer took the airship into a sharp left turn, avoiding the giant bird as it screamed forward. It quickly whirled around and continued to chase, now launching fireballs through the sky, narrowly missing the edges of the ship.

"He is going to incinerate us!" said Cyan.

"We must stay optimistic!" Siegfried called as he peered out over the edge, watching the angry bird chase them down.

"We were pretty optimistic last time, and we ended up in the forest!" said Sabin, clutching tightly on a long pipe protruding from the deck.

"Perhaps we should continue in silence?" Owzer suggested.

"Not a bad idea," Edgar added, shooting a glance at Sabin.

As they flew across the world, avoiding Phoenix's advances as safely as possible, many of them began to brainstorm about possible ways of losing their pursuer.

"Maybe we could maneuver this thing through the mountains of Narshe?"

"What about the Phoenix Cave? There are some pretty clustered peaks there."

"Why don't we just land and fight it!? Isn't that our mission anyway?" asked Sabin.

"Sabin, did you happen to notice that some of us don't have weapons anymore?!" Locke growled, displaying his empty hands.

"You _lost_ your weapons?!"

"My sword was in the orphanage when it fell into the ground," said Terra.

"I tried throwing my rod again, but Siren destroyed it in mid-air," said Gogo.

"I haven't had a weapon in forever!" said Mog.

"Whoa! Bahamut on the starboard side!" Clyde called out.

"The hell? We aren't sailors, Clyde!" Edgar snapped.

"Are you kidding me!? Bahamut?" Setzer groaned.

The unmistakable form of the great dragon seemed to come out of nowhere, Thomas Geeda riding upon its back with a devilish cackle.

"Looks like fate has played you into my hands once again!" he shouted as his dragon mount neared.

Following a screech from Phoenix, Setzer made another swift turn to the left, almost spinning the airship 180 degrees. This put the hull just out of reach as Bahamut snapped his jaws shut on thin air before being slammed into by the relentless Phoenix, almost knocking Thomas Geeda out of the sky. The airship blasted off in a new direction.

"You stupid bird! After that airship!" he growled.

Now, the situation was critical with two very powerful espers chasing them down. There would be no way to fight them both and win, and there was little hope of escaping now. The only other option was another crash, but Setzer kept on thinking about the consequences of the last time that happened and shuddered.

"Setzer! Go down!" Edgar hollered.

Clyde felt his stomach lurch as the airship tilted into a high velocity nosedive, gripping onto the deck rails before he slid towards the bow at its almost 90 degree angle. Right above them, a blast from Bahamut and Phoenix collided in mid-air, releasing a massive explosion of fire. Setzer abruptly leveled off, leaving everyone with a quick feeling of weightlessness before they continued on course. Phoenix soared right through the flames in the sky and continued to follow the ship from high above, while Bahamut skimmed the waters below.

"They aren't giving up any time soon! We have to do something!" said Cyan.

"Perhaps we should land and fight them upon the ground!" Siegfried suggested.

"Are you serious!? We cannot fight those two at once!" Setzer replied.

"We have to try, kupo!"

"Uwaoo! Less wind!"

"What?"

"He said less wind!"

"What does that mean!? How will that matter?"

But, to everyone's horror, they realized exactly what that meant in the next few seconds as the airship began to drastically slow down, the engines beginning to puff and wheeze. Setzer looked around frantically on the complex control board and noticed a little light blinking in the corner.

"OUT OF FUEL?!" he cried as the airship began to descend towards the ocean.

"You have to be joking…" Sabin said in disbelief.

"We're dead for sure!" Relm sobbed.

"This is terrible!" yelped Owzer.

The ship hit the water's surface with a heavy splash, thankfully having a massive enough hull base to balance out the weight, canceling out the mass of the engines supported above, allowing them to sail as if on a real ocean ship.

"At least we landed safely," said Setzer.

"Yeah, only one problem… THEY'RE COMING STRAIGHT AT US!" Sabin shouted, pointing his finger at the closing in forms of Phoenix and Bahamut.

"Now would be a wonderful time for those just-in-time miracles we seem to fall into," said Strago.

"Hold on! Out of the way! There has to be extra fuel for emergencies!" ordered Setzer, running to the stairs that led below deck and disappearing from view.

"Perhaps fate will be on our side," Gogo said hopefully.

"Sabin, any good Blitzes for a time like this!?" asked Edgar.

"Are you kidding me?! If I Bum Rush one of them, I'll fall into the ocean! If I Air Blade things are large as them, they'll only be halted for a moment! If I Fire Dance, Phoenix will absorb that! If I-"

"Ok, SHUT UP!"

"Why not use one of your tools?"

"Why not use your sword techniques?!"

"Gentlemen! Your arguing only wastes more time!"

"Hey, don't you order me around!"

"We're about to die here, man!"

"Stop whining!"

"Screw you!"

"Aero!" Terra cried.

The team was genuinely shocked as Terra called upon the incredibly potent spell. The sky instantly grew dark, and out of the clouds formed a familiar gray tornado, whirling around chaotically in the ocean. The airship was being rocked about wildly, while the two approaching espers were suddenly caught by the violent wind tunnel and flung about the sky before being hurled into the water, a heavy splash following, covering the deck of the ship in water.

"Not again!" Locke growled.

The massive whirlwind dissipated quickly, doing no damage to the ship and actually pushing it along the water a ways, getting it moving forward very slowly. Each of them looked back to catch any sign of life from Bahamut or Phoenix, but saw nothing.

"Do you think… they actually died?" wondered Sabin.

"That Thomas person was riding Bahamut… maybe he went down with it," said Gogo.

"There is no way our victory could be that easy," said Clyde.

"Oh, don't be so skeptical. Have some faith," said Edgar, giving him a sour look.

Shaking the water from his hair, Clyde glared at the king. He liked Edgar when he was Shadow, but Edgar did not like him when he was Clyde. What did this asshole want?

"I'm being realistic," he replied.

"You're being cynical."

"Didn't we discuss this in Narshe?" asked Celes, beginning to step in between the two of them.

"We did. Too bad Clyde here can't submit when his gut feelings fail him," Edgar said snidely.

"Cool it guys," Locke ordered.

"I'm feeling pretty damn cool, being _soaked_ and all!" Sabin complained.

Suddenly, Bahamut launched out of the water, Thomas Geeda crouched upon the top of its head with his sword in hand. The sinister man leapt the great distance across the water and landed squarely on the deck of the floating airship, Bahamut remaining behind and hovering close.

Upon setting foot on the ship, Geeda swung his sword at Sabin's feet, knocking him flat onto his back. No one else in the group wasted a moment in assaulting Tom. Unfortunately, they were all knocked away by a quick shockwave spell that none of them had ever seen. Strago and Terra quickly attempted to utilize magic against him, but could not finish their spell before he pummeled them with Figa. Edgar fired his Auto Crossbow right at him, only to have the bolts deflected by the flat of Thomas' blade, then to be thrown against the railing by a blast of Flare. Gau and Relm jumped into the fray and were caught by a Fira that sent them tumbling. The battle continued and Thomas Geeda knocked them around left and right, carrying on a short duel with Siegfried but finishing it by knocking him upside the helmet, stupefying him to the ground. Celes was the last one standing as she engaged him in a frantic swordfight, swinging at him madly while he blocked every hit with little effort. In the end, he quickly grabbed hold of her wrist and backhanded her once again, pushing her to the floor with the rest. Locke, having witnessed this, grew incredibly angry at the sight, clenching his fists together tightly as he began to stand.

"That's the second time I've had to do that… I'm normally not so abusive! Stop!"

He spread his hand out in a wide circle, casting the Stop spell over all of them, freezing the heroes in place, as they lay beaten.

"It seems you were all fortunate to avoid certain destruction yesterday… but now you are completely at my mercy! I should have done this from our very first encounter as a whole. It would have made the past few days less difficult. Although, I must say I have enjoyed torturing you all for a while, but the game ends here. Bahamut… prepare to-"

The Stop spell on Locke wore off prematurely, and he dashed forward with a furious yell. Thomas turned at the sound and was caught by surprise when he was tackled to the hard, wooden floor. Locke then relentlessly began to punch Geeda in the face, his fists flailing madly. With a bloody nose and a bleeding lip, Tom grabbed Locke by the front of his jacket and threw him off. The two men jumped to their feet at the same moment, Thomas having the advantage of a sword in his hand. At this time, however, Clyde felt the effects of the spell wear away, and seeing that Locke's emotions were high, he grabbed his own sword and tossed it through the air.

"Locke!" he called, getting his attention.

The mad thief caught the sword skillfully and lunged at Tom, letting loose his entire wrath with every strike. His face had contorted into a snarling grimace, and it appeared that his opponent was having a difficult time keeping up with his heavy strikes, being pushed back further. Clyde saw his perfect opportunity and made a run for Geeda. But, Locke had just been dealt a hard parry that sent him staggering back, which allowed Thomas to cast Thunga at Clyde's feet, busting a hole in the deck and tossing Clyde through the air, where he eventually flew over the edge of the port side and into the water.

"Clyde!" screamed Relm, who had just come out of her Stop status.

Before Locke came back for more, Thomas gave Bahamut a quick glance and a nod. Soon after, Bahumat dove into the water, hunting for Clyde. On deck, Locke and Tom continued their duel, fighting along the entire length of the ship, and occasionally stepping over Locke's still-stopped comrades. Relm had considered trying to help her friend out, but she really didn't know what to do. What if she just got in the way? Then, a brilliant idea came to mind… although she was not necessarily confident that it would work.

"Alright, you asshole… how about a taste of your own medicine?" she declared stoutly, getting to her feet and running up behind Thomas Geeda, who was preoccupied with Locke's heavy swings.

With several quick flicks of her brush, she successfully created a holographic image of her target, watching Thomas Geeda's imaginary likeness flicker into nothingness. Then, a great flash of light formed in the air, followed by a wild explosion that sent Tom flying through the air and into the stern of the airship, hitting hard against the railing.

"Relm! That was amazing!" Locke exclaimed.

In the water by the ship, Clyde came bursting to the surface, coughing and sputtering as the heads of Phoenix and Bahamut rose after him, snapping hungrily. Now, the group finally seemed to be revived of their frozen state, ducking as Thomas Geeda recovered incredibly quickly and launched his shockwave magic again. As he began to flee, Locke made a leap for him and was subsequently subdued with a blast of Pearl. Edgar, who attempted to trip him with his spear, received a swift kick in the face, and Geeda was soon over the edge and on top of Bahamut's head once again, grinning at Clyde who was clutching the bottom step of the metal ladders on the side.

"I have to say I am rather impressed by your resistance!" he called as Bahamut began to rise.

"Thun-"

"Watch out!" Setzer shouted as he came sprinting up the stairs, practically leaping at the control panel and knocking Strago out of the way, who failed to complete his spell.

Phoenix had just propelled itself from the water, spiraling around the side of the ship and hovering just behind it. Setzer grinned as he restarted the engines and blasted out of the sea, the engine thrusters discharging right into the bird esper.

"NO! DAMMIT!" Thomas Geeda screamed, Bahamut taking off after the airborne ship.

Phoenix was hardly damaged by the thrusters, having absorbed most of the fire, and when it shook off its slight confusion and bewilderment, it flapped its soaked wings and proceeded to follow after its master in the chase across the sky. On the airship, Clyde hung on for dear life to the very slippery ladder, his friends watching him worriedly as they began to lower a length of rope down to him.

"I didn't know he was knocked overboard!" said Setzer.

"It's ok Setzer! Just keep your eyes ahead!" Celes replied.

As the others attended to Clyde, Setzer glanced down at the control panel before him. He had given it a quick look on his first use of the vessel, but never paid it any heed due to limited time. The basic controls of the airship were exactly like those of the Falcon, with a lever for speed and a Y-shaped control stick, but there were several buttons and switches that he had no idea what their function was. The complexity was only heightened by many odd screens placed randomly across the confusing console, blinking and beeping for no apparent reason to Setzer.

"Hmm, maybe this one here is a radar. There's the fuel gauge… I can only assume that is the temperature reading of the engine…"

"Setzer! Right!"

He quickly jerked the airship into a hard right, throwing his friends halfway across the deck with the sudden movement that dodged a fire bolt from Phoenix just in time.

"Careful! Clyde is still trying to get up!"

"Sorry!" Setzer called back.

As he scrutinized the panel further, he began to develop an intense curiosity… one that could only be satisfied by putting the controls to work. But could he risk it at such a crucial time? Maybe it would help them out… or maybe it would lead to their demise. _Why did every quick decision have to be a double-edged sword!?_

"Oh to hell with it, I'm a gambler! Let's try this one!" he said, tapping a green button next to the control stick.

The airship gave out a sudden burst of speed, boosting forward a short distance in an incredibly quick amount of time, which put Phoenix and Bahamut momentarily behind.

"What the hell are you doing Setzer?! Clyde's still hanging on to the rope!" Locke shouted.

"Excellent, a booster. How about this blue one?" he wondered, feeling like a kid in a toy store.

From the top half of the airship containing the main engine and thrusters, a pair of tubular, cannon-like mechanisms rolled out on each side, held out by two thick rails. Steam poured out from little slits in the cylindrical objects, releasing a loud hiss. On the control stick were now two blinking red buttons that were accessible by Setzer's thumbs… the triggers for the weapons.

"Holy shit!" he said in shock.

"What is that?" Relm wondered, staring at the two devices.

"I think they're weapons!" Setzer said with a grin, slowing the ship down and turning it completely around to face the approaching fliers.

"Whoa, Setzer… what do you think you're doing?!" Sabin yelled.

Clyde had just thrown himself up on the deck, panting heavily. His comrades quickly pulled him away from the side and let him rest on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Celes asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine… thanks for the rope," he gasped.

"Sir, why are we heading straight for our enemies?!" cried Owzer.

Setzer pressed the right button, and out of the cannon shot a bright blue laser, humming and glowing as it zipped across the sky. When his targets were in range, he began mashing his thumbs on the buttons, sending a barrage of laser blasts at the espers.

"Look at that! The Empire is certainly ahead of its time!" Cyan said in amazement.

The whole group cheered loudly when Phoenix was hit dead on with the powerful plasma, being pummeled across the sky until it fell to the earth, lifeless. Bahamut, however, was incredibly evasive, and weaved back and forth and up and down to avoid the shots fired. As the ship and the dragon passed each other, Setzer dipped downward, avoiding a swipe from the esper's great claws.

"It seems the people of this world have recovered and developed rather quickly in the midst of that fool's defeat," Thomas noted, turning Bahamut around and continuing to chase.

"I do not believe the cannons are quite as effective against the dragon!" said Siegfried.

"Ugah!"

"Oh yeah? Everyone sit down and hold on tight!" Setzer yelled.

They immediately followed his command, knowing full well that Setzer was not afraid to do something drastic when necessary. The all grabbed on to the nearest anchored objects, such as the random tubes rising up from the deck and prepared themselves for the worst. Setzer stuck his finger on the green button and felt his heart jump as the airship rocketed off at unbelievable speeds. It felt as if they had shot half way across the world before the pilot finally let go.

"That… was… AWESOME!" Relm shouted, holding on tightly to Interceptor, who was trembling in fear.

"Ooooh… I thought I despised _water_ travel…" Siegfried groaned, clutching his stomach.

"Ugh… what a dreadful ride," Owzer said in disgust.

"Did we lose them?" asked Gogo.

"I sure hope so," Strago croaked, feeling just as weary as Siegfried and Owzer.

"I don't see anyone pursuing us, but we should probably land soon," said Clyde.

"Yeah, we're getting low on fuel again. Where are we anyway?" wondered Setzer, trying to look over the edge from his spot at the controls.

"I think that's the Opera House up north… so Jidoor and Maranda are nearby," said Edgar.

"And Maranda was destroyed… by Bahamut, peculiarly," said Celes.

"Let's land in the forest near Jidoor… that way the ship is out of sight, but we're close to refuge when we need it. Plus, we can send a messenger pigeon to the Empire if we don't have anymore spare fuel," Locke suggested.

"I agree," said Terra.

"Excellent plan," Cyan added.

Setzer nodded and took them the short distance north to the forest, Jidoor not but less than a mile to the southwest. He carefully landed in a very small clearing, the airship barely fitting between the thick trees with the large cannons sticking out from the sides. All of them let out a deep sigh when they were on the ground again, wiping their brows tiredly.

"What a day…" said Sabin.

"It was fun! Kupo!"

"Oh yeah, a blast!"

"Don't be so negative!"

"I'm sorry… I just get that way when I nearly get blown to pieces by a big freaking dragon!"

"Sabin, I think you need a drink."

_Author's Notes: To spare any sudden confusion (because a similar incident happened when they fought the dinosaurs in the forest near Valorin), Aero is the W Wind spell from the game. The first version of this I played was a translated version for the SNES, so some of the spells and other things are different, and I am never sure what has been changed in the true North American version. So, please excuse any possible 'mistakes' I make in that manner._


	29. Legion of the People

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXIX – Legion of the People**

Jidoor was not a bit different from their last visit only a few days prior. Sure, it was rather cramped due to the sudden population surge from the survivors of Figaro, but everyone appeared to be handling nicely and evolving well with the present situation. The visitors had found their place in the large township and were even securing decent jobs, which helped Jidoor develop even faster than the other cities in the world, with the exception of New Vector, of course.

"Well, here we are again…" said Locke, eyeing Owzer's house quickly.

"Mm, we shall go to my house for a little rest!" Owzer told them all, leading the way through the busy city towards his large mansion.

"Are you sure the airship will be fine by itself?" asked Setzer.

"Relax, Setzer… what's going to happen to it? Some frogs going to get slime all over the thing?" Edgar said with a laugh.

"Those Reach Frogs are rather pesky though," Cyan commented.

Many of the citizens began to watch the odd-looking team as they passed, some of them pointing out that their king was amongst the group. Clyde never liked this attention, but he kind of asked for it when he dressed up in strange ninja garb as Shadow. Still, the others did not appreciate it much either, avoiding the gazes of the curious people.

"I hate when people stare at us like that," said Celes.

"We do look rather bizarre," Cyan whispered.

They were thankful to have reached Owzer's house, all of them piling inside and making themselves at home immediately in the fine mansion. As soon as he entered, Owzer hastily departed for his almost hidden kitchen. Seeing as how they had not eaten in quite some time, now was an excellent time for such. Relm and Terra went along with him, perfectly willing to help out, which cued Edgar to follow. Locke quickly detained Clyde before he could offer his assistance.

"Let's go find that loot," he said quietly.

Clyde nodded and led Locke through the relatively hidden sections of the house, feeling around almost blindly in the dim light it had been left in, navigating the maze-like halls as best they could while avoiding the four who were moving towards the kitchen. He recalled many of the passages and where they led to, but still found it slightly difficult in locating Owzer's room. Finally, after what seemed like forever of searching, they entered Owzer's fire lit chamber, and the bag of loot sat snugly by the bookshelf in the right corner.

"There it is," said Clyde.

"I thought Owzer took that thing down?" Locke said curiously to himself.

Clyde looked up to see that the painting of Starlet made by Relm was hanging up on the back wall. He quickly recalled the events of battling a dangerous demon that inhabited the painting, reminding him of Thomas Geeda's abilities in creating the espers through painting. For a moment, he stopped to admire the beauty of the painted woman, whose long brown hair seemed to flow peacefully against the canvas, and her perfect body draped in a large blue silk blanket.

"Wait a minute… we have to get out of here," said Locke, running to the door.

As he attempted to open it, the locks immediately clicked, sealing the two of them in the room. They both watched in horror as the panting shook on the wall, and the canvas began to ripple like water. The esper woman in the picture reached out, her hand becoming solid as it escaped the art fabric. Soon, her whole body seemed to melt out of the painting and into reality, hovering seductively with her blue sheet held loosely on her otherwise undressed form.

"GUYS?! HELLO?!" Locke shouted, hoping that there might be a chance that he could be heard outside the room.

"We only have one weapon," Clyde said with a fearful look, pointing to his sword that was now on Locke's belt.

Starlet raised her hand high and released a ball of white light, beams of magic shooting out from the white orb and shoving the two men against the wall, pinning them up.

"Agh! Shit!" Locke gasped, writhing in pain as the light began to crush against them.

The light suddenly stopped and they were both dropped to the floor, panting and gasping for air. Starlet grinned and let out a frightening, deep-voiced laugh.

"Ah, I remember you," it said.

"Go screw yourself!" Locke growled.

"Do not speak to me, fool!"

Clyde looked around the room as Starlet continued to hover in front of its painting. If the upper level had better access than the two sets of stairs, Clyde might have been able to reach the suit of armor with the sword on the left side of the room that he had just noticed, but as it looked… he would probably be vaporized in an instant if he tried it. But, when he heard the sound of Locke unsheathing his sword, he did not wait a second before dashing up the stairs and leaping for the other blade. Starlet hissed and dove straight at Locke, slamming him back against the wall before the sword was out of the scabbard. She levitated eerily before him, her blue covering waving in the air as if being blown by the wind.

"You cannot defeat me so easily this time!"

Clyde jumped at Starlet and dealt a long slash to her leg with the polished and refurbished steel sword. The esper yelped in pain and swung its hand right at him, hitting him hard on the cheek. Clyde tumbled into Owzer's table and nearly dropped the sword, gasping at the sting in his back as he landed on the broken wood. Then, Starlet began to transform into the form of the demon that had possessed her painting before, Chadarnook. Chadarnook was still adorned completely in a jet-black cloak with green, smoky and thorny vines growing from its abdomen. It glared at Clyde with its bright green eyes and let out a deep grumble.

"I owe it to Sir Geeda for resurrecting my soul and allowing me to inhabit his esper lady once again," he said.

Locke was now banging on the door, shouting out to their friends.

"They cannot hear you, fool! I have sealed this room with magic!"

"Well then I guess we'll just have to kick your ass to get out!"

Locke ran forward and began stabbing at the demon with his sword that he had finally unsheathed. A few well-placed hits were made, but they seemed to pass right through Chadarnook as if he were made of smoke.

"Sir Geeda has done many things for me!" he said before hurling a green fireball at Locke.

As Locke was thrown into the wall for the third time, Clyde got to his feet and slashed at the monster from behind. Having the same effect, he was knocked into the wall with the painting, letting out a cry of pain as his sore back slammed into the brick. After falling limp to the floor, Clyde looked up at the glowing painting, noticing that it was a completely black canvas, but had a strange purple light shining through random cracks. Then he realized that if he destroyed this painting, perhaps it would weaken the monster.

"Oh no you don't!" the demon yelled, his hand transforming into a solid, black harpoon-looking weapon.

Clyde jumped to his feet and expected a fight, but instead saw Locke jumping around the room, dodging the great harpoon as it busted apart the walls. Clyde saw his chance and was about to jam the edge of his blade right into the blank portrait, but Chadarnook foresaw this and sent a bolt of lightning into the wall in front of him, throwing Clyde backwards. The demon returned its attentions to Locke and hammered his blade fiercely with his own black weapon. Clyde heaved himself up just as Locke was picked up by Chadarnook's free hand and dropped to the floor. Feeling fortunate that his friend was not watching, he quickly hurled the sword in his hand at the portrait. The blade easily tore through the thin material and stuck into the wall.

"What!?" the demon screamed.

As the purple light completely disappeared, Chadarnook's dark exterior began to fade away and Starlet now floated where the demon once did. She glared menacingly at Clyde and lunged for him. Clyde caught her hands just in time and began to wrestle across the floor with the esper. He was able to hold against her strength for a few seconds before being thrown across the entire room and into the suit of armor, sending it crashing down. Starlet spun around and slapped Locke across the face as he attempted to sneak up on her, falling to the floor with a painful jaw.

"What a bitch!" he growled.

Clyde remained still on top of the armor, his eyes wondering frantically for any sort of hope for them. Despite the demon being removed, Starlet was still a powerful esper… but then he saw a sign of promise. Close to him was a broken leg from the table when he had been thrown into it, and only a few feet ahead was the burning fireplace. The esper woman was currently preoccupied with Locke, grabbing him by the throat and holding him up in the air as he scratched and clawed at her arm. Clyde crawled forward quickly and shoved the wooden leg into the fire, catching the flame easily. As Starlet turned to see what he was doing, he launched the burning wood right at the edge of her blue covering. With a victorious clenching of his fist, he watched as the entire blue fabric caught alight and she began to scream in pain, dropping Locke to the floor once again.

"Whoa! Fire!" he yelled, scooting back as best he could while the esper flailed around in the air.

It was almost too easy of a victory when she fell motionless to the ground, her wonderful body and perfect skin blackened and smoldering, the blanket reduced to ashes. But, to ensure her defeat, Locke thrust his sword downward right into her chest, Starlet letting out a last pained shriek before dying on the floor.

"Damn, I can't breathe!" Locke coughed, running for the door and throwing it open as smoke began to cloud up the room.

Clyde crawled over to the wall and retched the sword from the painting. Then, he approached the bag of loot and grabbed hold of it, exiting the room with it slung over his back. As small bits of smoke began to fill into the dark hallway, the two of them fumbled around wearily, the pain from the battle steadily creeping up on them again, along with the smoke that started to invade their lungs.

"Where are we going? We can't just run out with this bag of stolen things!" said Clyde.

"Shit! I know! Ugh! Put it in one of these other rooms!" Locke wheezed in reply.

"Maybe the fire was a reckless idea…"

"Hey, at least we killed the monster. I just gotta lie down now…"

After Locke and Clyde were found collapsed on the floor of one of Owzer's guest bedroom suites, they were quickly moved back to the main house. No one seemed to take heed of the rather large bag that was set next to Clyde, much to his relief, and when he and Locke regained full consciousness thanks to some curing spells from Terra and Celes, Locke gave him a quick thumbs up.

"What the hell did you guys burn?" asked Edgar.

"Thank goodness the kitchen was spared from the smoke! Oh, I hope my chambers are ok!" said Owzer, frantically running around his house.

"Seriously, what happened back there?" asked Celes, stroking Locke's hair as he lay on the floor in the entry hallway.

"It was that bitch! Starlet! Her painting came back!" Locke shouted.

"What?!" many of the others said simultaneously.

"An esper woman, and a black-robed demon…" Clyde said weakly.

"I say, that was your painting wasn't it, dear?" Strago asked.

"Noo… my painting? It was still evil?" Relm sobbed.

"How could it have returned?! It was taken along with all of the others!" Owzer cried.

"Thomas has something to do with this," said Cyan.

"Magical paintings? Quite intriguing," said Siegfried.

"Yeah… Thomas Geeda painted all of the espers for Owzer, but in reality he was bringing them back to life," said Setzer.

"Perhaps we should destroy these paintings then? They could weaken the magical beasts."

"If we knew where they were, I'm sure that would help a lot!" said Sabin.

"Well, we did take care of Fenrir, Shoat, and Starlet now," Owzer said.

"Geeda has to have some sort of base that he has secured his paintings at," said Terra.

"Wait a minute…" Locke said blankly.

"Where would Thomas Geeda call home?" Gogo wondered.

"Locke! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Edgar with a stunned expression.

"If you're thinking about that village he was funding near Figaro, then yes!"

"Oh my… I nearly forgot about that," said Celes.

"Uwaoo! Bad village?! We go stop evil man?" Gau said excitedly.

"Kupo! Village is right by an island!" said Mog.

"How do you know that?" asked Locke, with a very puzzled expression.

"Umaro and I saw it from Narshe! Strange lights came from the southwest, so we went to investigate. When we reached the edge of Narshe's continent, there was a city being built just south of a small island! Kupo!"

"There is an island right next to the desert, and that is northeast of the castle," said Edgar.

"Well, could we put that matter off for a moment so that we might eat a bit, friends? The ladies and I have cooked a wonderful dish! The smoke will clear up on its own," Owzer said confidently, trying to put his worries behind as his frantic attitude dwindled away.

None of them wanting to hurt the large man's feelings, and all of them having a rather large appetite at the moment, the entire group crowded themselves into Owzer's large dining room that was adjacent to the kitchen. It was a charming room with a nice long table, beautiful cabinets of antique silverware and glassware, and even fine, ancient candelabras as a light source. They spread about the room with plates full of delicious roast beef, potatoes, and cooked vegetables. It was a generic meal, but it made them all very happy to finally be able to relax and enjoy some real food, and Interceptor had finished his plate on the floor within seconds, panting satisfyingly while the others ate in a more civilized manner.

This occasion marked the first moment Siegfried had taken off his helmet, although Gogo refused to do so and developed his own way of eating. Once the legendary mercenary had removed his sturdy, blue head gear, they observed a weathered and seasoned face of someone who had obviously seen a lot in his day. He looked to be around the age of 40, and had short and messy black, but graying hair with black stubble all around his chin. His eyes were a deep and calculating shade of gray that gave a look of incredible wisdom behind the façade of a simple mercenary. None of them remarked on his appearance, however, and continued as normal, eating their food in peace.

"You ladies and Owzer sure hit the spot!" Sabin said happily, devouring his meal quicker than anyone else.

"Yeah, be sure not to choke on our efforts, Meathead."

"Now Relm, it's not the time for your chatter," Strago scolded.

"Oh gramps don't be such a fuddy-duddy!"

Some of the others began to chuckle, finding that now was the best time to appreciate each other's company and security, as this peaceful moment would most definitely run afoul the when they departed on the airship, which Setzer still worried about constantly. When they had all cleaned their plates, the group returned to the main part of Owzer's home and began to prepare for whatever might be waiting for them at Thomas Geeda's village.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for the smoke to filter out of the house before we can get that loot…" Locke explained in a whisper to Clyde.

"Very well… his majesty will just have to deal," Clyde replied.

After a few minutes preparation, they departed Owzer's house and headed straight for the weapon's dealer in Jidoor, which had a brimming business today. There, Terra purchased a gold-hilted saber, Mog found a gold spear just like Edgar's, Gogo bought a chrome-colored rod, Strago found a metallic blue staff, and Locke kept Clyde's former sword while Clyde kept the sword from Owzer's house. Once they were ready to rumble, Setzer led the way back to the forest and on board the airship, which was completely undisturbed.

"Looks pretty good to me, Setzer," said Edgar as the pilot disappeared below deck to check on the fuel.

It was a few minutes and some shouted 'Dammits' later that Setzer's head finally popped up from below.

"Well, you know… everyone has their worries!" Setzer said in defense, approaching the helm and starting the engines after successfully refueling... apparently the empire was well prepared.

As the people of Jidoor crowded around outside the city, watching the airship lift off from the forest slowly, they cheered loudly for the heroes, many of the Figaro citizens screaming out Edgar's name. It was a touching moment for the group as the roars of the people reached their ears, feeling like the world was beginning to stand behind them again in the dark hour of Thomas Geeda's evil plans… whatever they may be.

_**Elsewhere…**_

It was a lovely day in South Figaro. Everyone seemed to generally be in a great mood, and had little worries in the world. The citizens felt better than they had in a long time, especially as they began to develop further since the defeat of the mighty Kefka. It seemed like today was the first day that things actually started to look better, and that things would be all right forever.

"Hey! You guys are doing such good work on that house! How about a spot of lemonade with my family?" called a young father to a group of carpenters who hammered tirelessly in the hot sun.

"We'd love to!" said the foreman, who directed his boys to the company of the happy family and enjoyed the cool, freshly squeezed lemonade.

All across town, generosity seemed to be brewing from everyone. All of the shops decided to post discount prices. The Chocobo Keeper allowed anyone and everyone to take a look at his new birds, also letting them pet the chocobos as much as they wanted. The pub gave out free drinks. The citizens were so polite to each other. It was an anomaly that had never even been considered in so many years.

"Gah, I feel so good today!" said an elderly man as he took a heavy swig of ale.

Then, a massive shadow loomed over the entire city, blocking out most of the sun. Everyone looked up and saw the fearsome shape of a great blue dragon. The town guards immediately poised their weapons, and the citizens screamed in fright, dashing into their houses. Panic covered the whole town as the giant beast descended. Bahamut landed softly atop a flat-roofed building that had just been completed, and it stood idly while the shape of a man appeared behind it. The soldiers watched curiously as this man walked to the edge of the building and spread his arms wide.

"People! Please do not fear me! I promise you that I bring no harm to you fine civilians!" Thomas Geeda called out with a smile.

After a moment's hesitation, doors began creaking open as the townsfolk peered out of their houses. Today was such a fine day, they did not expect it all to be brought crashing down by the sight of a dangerous esper, something half of them did not even know existed. Minutes later, the people were pouring out of their homes and places of business, crowding in the streets to see what this mysterious man had to say. He had a charismatic and proper look about him, and he appeared trustworthy to most.

"I must compliment your progress ever since the despised rule of Kefka! This town has certainly complimented this land with such beauty and perfection! You should all be proud of your hard work as honest citizens!" he said, continuing to smile widely.

"Who are you!?" a random punk shouted.

"Hah! Pardon my rudeness! I am Sir Thomas Geeda, a humble philanthropist and protector of humanity. I come here to speak of a great problem in our land!"

"Are you with the empire?" asked one of the soldiers, all of the sentries being private troops from Figaro Castle.

"No, no, no! I do not associate with that… faction in any form! You see, the New Empire is what I am here to discuss. The New Empire is large talk these days, and ever since the initial collapse of the former Empire, it seems that this _New_ Empire has taken it upon itself to take control of this world."

"Control? The New Empire doesn't control us!" said an old lady.

"Oh, do they not? You have built this town up yourself, yes? You did not receive any aid from another source?" said Thomas, dealing a slight smirk.

"Well, we had to wait a few days before the New Empire handed us the supplies," said one of the workers.

"Ah hah! The _New _Empire made you wait! The restoration of your very city was in their hands, because after the terrible reign of Kefka… supplies were scarce anywhere else. And what of Figaro Castle? King Edgar Figaro seemed rather hesitant before even thinking about sending help to your precious city," he explained as he began to pace across the edge of the building, still facing his audience.

"He was being celebrated for his bravery!" a patriotic girl shouted.

"Yes, how responsible of the king of this area and this city to spend time being awarded a few words about his brave acts… instead of returning home immediately and seeing to the needs of his people. He did not return to the castle until at least two days after Kefka's defeat, so I hear," he replied.

No one seemed to have a response.

"What a pity… to be controlled by a power-hungry faction of aristocrats and to be at the mercy of a spoiled monarch who appears rather indifferent to your situation," Tom mused amusingly.

"He's got a point!"

"Don't listen to him, Bernie! He's just trying to scare us into hating the New Empire. What's your story, Geeda? Did they not spoil you enough?"

"Yeah, you got a little personal grudge?!"

"My good friends, do not get me wrong. I am, in no way, trying to persuade you towards any specific idea. I am merely attempting to introduce to you the thoughts of a very reasonable critic… one who has watched the horrors of greed consume so many men. You are all aware of the fate of the town of Mobliz?"

"It was destroyed by Kefka!" many of them shouted.

"No, they started rebuilding it after he was killed!"

"Mobliz is empty right now though! The Empire sent a band of troops there just yesterday!"

"Hey, yeah! That's what my friend from New Vector said too!"

Thomas gave a satisfied grin as the citizens began to buy in to the story.

"And did the Empire state any particular reason for going there and emptying out the town?" he questioned.

"It had to be something big! They apparently took _two_ airships!"

"Two airships… yes. But why would the Empire not make a public statement about their intentions? What do they have to hide from the people? News in New Vector travels quickly around this world, and messenger pigeons are considerably more useful in this day. If any certain statements had been made concerning New Vector's mission in Mobliz… you would have certainly heard about it now, yes?"

"What are you talking about? That's stupid!"

"Completely irrelevant!"

"What do you want from us?"

"Perhaps you will explain to me why Maranda has been wiped off the face of the earth?" Geeda asked.

"It was burned down!"

"I heard it was a band of mercenaries!"

"Some say it was a monster!"

"There were no survivors!"

Soon, the crowd grew into a loud roar as they began to shout out responses to Thomas' question that he knew well what the answer was. He stopped pacing and spread his hands out to the people, gesturing to hush them down as he ran into another explanation.

"Of course there were no survivors! The Empire did not want there to be any survivors! It has been several days since the town's destruction, and the Empire has made no move to even step a few feet closer to its singed remains, no matter what the cause. We may never know what truly happened there, but do you really want to be left in the care of an Empire that does not care at all? Why were they so hasty to fly to Mobliz instead of the completely flattened town of Maranda? Why has the town of Narshe not been repopulated, despite its wonderful coal deposits? Even the village that I have attempted to create up north has ceased to grow because of the Empire and King Figaro refusing to supply me. They are obviously afraid that I will build up a suspicion about their actions!"

"What are you getting at?"

"Shh! Let him speak! I think he's brilliant!"

"Yeah, keep talking, Geeda!"

"Listen, friends… the New Empire is corrupt. They are trying to steadily control this world entirely… piece by piece. Sure, they may be initiating their plan down south, but soon enough they will approach your town and ask to station a few hundred soldiers here, just like the previous Empire did this past year. And what, with King Figaro's apathy for your precious village, do you honestly think he would do anything to stop it? Please! The New Empire praised him as a hero, for crying out loud! I am a modest man and I do not claim to hold any superior knowledge over any… but I feel that my ideas have delved deeper into the minds of humans better than any, and that if things continue to run the way they are… the minds controlling the New Empire will stop at nothing to take this world into their own hands. They will stop at nothing to have control of free citizens like yourself!"

"Yeah… I think he's right! Why would they leave a poor town like Maranda to rot some more? King Figaro hasn't even been seen in over a week!"

"This guy knows what he's talking about!"

There were maybe five or six people who disagreed with him from the start… but they were inconsequential to the large grouping that hung on to his every word and listened to everything he had to say. The crowd began to grow wild as they reflected on how 'bad' the Empire was going to turn out, and even the soldiers began throwing down their helmets and weapons, removing themselves from the forces working for Figaro. None of them seemed to mind Bahamut anymore as it leered over the cheering people, grumbling in response to its master's satisfaction.

"Yes! Join me in my quest, people! Join me in the quest to uncover the darkness behind the Empire! Join me in fighting those who fight against me… simply because I disagree with their cause! King Figaro has, in fact, rallied his former comrades to hunt me down so that he can preserve his precious imperial ally… and we cannot allow such tyranny to plague this world! You must fight with me against this unlawful response to my opinions… you must embrace the power that I possess and take up arms alongside my servants and me! Come on my journey… come topple the villainous reign of the oppressive empire! Join me in my new village! Help me continue my work where greedy ways have halted my progress! Join… the Legion of the People!" he shouted victoriously as the entire town of South Figaro grew into a trembling frenzy, raising his hands up high as his dragon esper let out a roar of success.

_Author's Notes: Yes, yes, yes, Geeda does have a plot! It's unfortunate for the heroes that he is rather persuasive… and that people are willing to listen to anything that will make their lives apparently easier, although Thomas is just another Hitler. What lies in store for our brave warriors now? O, the intrigue! (By the way, Celes WILL use Runic again. She's not totally defenseless, but when you're taken by surprise sometimes it's difficult to think fast even for a group of heroes who saved the world from ultimate, deity-empowered evil.) Also, I am actually far ahead in my writing and have up to Chapter 33 already written... I'm just giving the story some time to accumulate hits for a few days before I continue to post.  
_


	30. Prelude To War

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXX – Prelude To War  
**

Midway through the flight, Clyde proposed an idea that received a great deal of mixed response. He suggested that half of the team travel by foot and train to Geeda's town, and the other half by airship, as Thomas would spot them easily from the sky but would most likely not expect them to be approaching him by land. Either way, he would not be able to put full focus on one group without making himself vulnerable. To everyone's surprise, Edgar was one that showed no aversion to the idea and deemed it 'a reasonable way to handle the situation'. However, Setzer wouldn't have it, and was worried about purposefully exposing his new airship to Geeda so soon after acquiring it.

"Oh come on Setzer…" said Locke incredulously.

"Hold on a minute. Maybe his worries aren't so far off base with what we've put ourselves through," reasoned Terra.

"That's how he pinned us down so easily last time, because we were split up!" said Strago.

"Thanks guys. Seriously Locke, I don't want this to turn out like it did with Phoenix only days after having the Falcon obliterated!" said Setzer.

"But the airship will just follow us!" said Relm.

"Then Geeda will know what we're planning!" Owzer added.

"If we all go together, we shall surely be defeated together!" Cyan said.

"We travel by walk! Run run! Uwaoo!"

"Kupo! You guys can't agree on anything!"

"What if the trains have been cut off?!"

"What if espers are floating around the town?"

"Why are we going?!"

"I don't want to lose this thing!"

"Perhaps it would be wise to split up three ways?"

"Brilliant idea! The third part of the team can just WALK through the desert!"

Then, Gogo stepped forward and put his hand on Setzer's shoulder, gripping him firmly.

"Setzer, you are a brilliant pilot, and I know you would never allow Thomas Geeda to get the better of you while flying. Even with two incredibly powerful monsters chasing you down, you turned the tables and kept us alive. Have faith in yourself and your abilities, as we all know you are capable of making this plan work," he said.

Everyone except Clyde found Gogo's endearment to be rather peculiar, because he had never been so friendly or encouraging. Sure, he was by no means a cold person, but never seemed to show much of a personable side. Clyde figured it was just Gogo's feminine tenderness coming out, something they probably would not expect as much from another man holding Setzer's shoulder. Setzer, however, found this to be oddly relaxing, as if Gogo was someone he had been familiar with for years now, despite only meeting him not too long ago in their journey towards defeating Kefka.

"Hey, Gogo is right Setzer. You've got it in you," Clyde said, receiving an approving gaze from Gogo.

"Alright. Let's do it," the pilot said boldly, with a wide smirk.

Upon his change of heart, the others gradually began to warm up to Clyde's idea until the fall of the stubborn resistance of Strago and Sabin marked the entire group's full participation. It was worked out to where Setzer, Owzer, Relm, Strago, Gogo, Celes, and Terra would remain on the airship, while the remaining Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Clyde, Cyan, Gau, Mog, Umaro, and Siegfried would be on the ground, and not be grouped completely together and would travel in two close-traveling packs of four and five to keep their crowding limited. It seemed complex at first, but became much better organized when they landed just outside South Figaro and began to depart. The seven on the ship waved the other nine farewell and took off into the sky to hover close to the train station farther north until the ground team had boarded the railway.

"Alright, I'll take my group in first. Edgar, you hold off for a few minutes and we'll wait for you at the train station in the town," said Locke, receiving a thumbs up from his friend.

Locke made way into the noisy and active town of South Figaro with Clyde, Cyan, Siegfried, and Gau following. They did their best to keep all attention away from them, but for some reason the citizens were staring at them just as those in Jidoor were. It was as if everything had stopped and they were the star attraction of the day, walking as inconspicuously as possible towards the station. Locke tried to make a casually friendly smile to a small group of Figaro sentries, but felt incredibly awkward afterwards.

"Is it at all possible for us to be treated like normal people just passing through? People carry weapons on them all the time now," Locke mumbled.

"Perhaps they know who we are?" said Cyan.

"Fame can be rather irksome," noted Siegfried.

Locke nodded and gave a careful look back to see if Edgar's group had budged. What he saw instead, however, was rather surprising. A large mass of citizens had formed a crowd that was following their group, creating such density that their way back was blocked. He stopped just before the train station.

"Eh, can we help you?" he asked, puzzled.

"You. You're pursuing Thomas Geeda," said a grizzled old man holding a large wrench.

"You know Thomas Geeda?" said Clyde.

"We know what you're up to," said a very mean-looking woman.

"What are you talking about!?" Cyan exclaimed.

"You won't stop Lord Geeda from completing his dream! You cannot restore the tyranny of the Empire!" growled one of the sentries with his sword drawn.

"What the hell!?" Locke screamed before unsheathing his own weapon, the other three swordsmen following suit, and Gau crouching low on the ground as if ready to pounce.

"Kill them on the master's orders!" shouted an old man.

They were dumbstruck for a moment when the citizens and sentries came charging at them with various tools and weapons in hand. With incredible reluctance that was only suppressed by automatic self-defense, they all fought back and began toppling their assaulters. Catching the trouble from a distance, Edgar and his group came dashing into the village and began fighting their way through the crowd to rejoin their allies.

"Locke! What's going on?!" Edgar shouted.

"I think Thomas Geeda has mind-controlled or brainwashed them! They're fighting us for him!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Sabin shouted as he knocked three people back with a wide sweep of his fist.

They felt lucky that this group of motley civilians had very little to zero battle experience and were easily stunned or temporarily knocked back. They had not killed anyone yet, and preferred it that way as they began to edge towards the train station, not fully confident that it was very safe, but finding nowhere else to turn to. When the other four had cleared through and joined Locke's side, Umaro pointed towards the station in panic.

"Ugah! Look back!"

His warning came just in time as they turned their heads to see a trio of robed men come hustling from the station. The team cleared out right as a triple blast of Fira spells came at them. All of them were shocked in disbelief.

"MAGIC?!" Locke cried.

"Uwaoo!" Gau called, sending back a Raged Figa spell that stunned all three of the mages.

Then, overhead came the loud roar of Setzer's airship as it stopped above the city, carefully dropping altitude. The South Figaro people were startled by the sight and began to back away from the battle, fearing what might come next. Celes then appeared by the edge and beckoned for them hurriedly with an apparent sense of urgency.

"Climb up! Hurry! Let's go!" she shouted.

Mog went tearing up the ladders before she even said anything, and the remaining heroes came right after, crawling onto the deck with a very confused perspective on what was happening right now. When the last person was on board, a loud blast of wind sounded above them as they caught a glimpse of a multi-colored bird-like dragon soaring past the town.

"Go Setzer! GO!" Owzer called.

The airship ascended into the sky quickly and shot off in the opposite direction of the esper that had just passed, cruising along until they reached Kohlingen where they would all regain composure and fill each other in on 'what the hell just happened', as Setzer put it.

"Wait, so the citizens actually attacked you too?" said Strago inside the Kohlingen pub.

"They attacked _you_?!" Sabin replied.

"Right as we got close to the station in the desert, a team of Figaro soldiers were aiming these small laser cannons at us and started shooting. Then, we saw Tritoch coming closer from the horizon, so we made a run for it to get you guys," Setzer explained.

"Yeah, Geeda has somehow controlled these people," said Locke.

"How could he do that?! He doesn't have mind control powers does he?" said Relm.

"He does have unusual control over the espers… but I doubt his abilities can allow him to have a hold on so many people at once. He must have brainwashed them somehow, kind of like the Cult of Kefka," Terra commented.

"But this is unreal. So far we've only been fighting espers and Geeda, with the occasional random encounter in the wild, but now he has real _people_ on his side?!" said Locke.

"As opposed to _fake_ people?" Relm quipped, earning a scowl from Locke.

"Where else might he have gone?" wondered Cyan.

"Well, Jidoor seemed to be untouched when we arrived," said Owzer.

"Maybe we should just go together to his little city! Kupo!" said Mog.

"He probably already has an army waiting there for us," Locke replied.

"Let's ask the Empire for help," said Clyde.

"The Empire… did they even finish off Ultros?" asked Celes.

"Good question," said Edgar, looking to the door of the pub as if expressing his curiosity to go and see.

"I found it peculiar that the people of South Figaro spoke of restoring the tyranny of the Empire," noted Siegfried.

"That means that Thomas is probably targeting New Vector soon…" said Terra with dread.

"We should travel there immediately then," Gogo piped up.

"Good idea. Let's hurry!" said Setzer as he jumped to his feet, leading his comrades back to the airship with the curious eyes of Kohlingen's civilians upon them.

It did not take long for them to arrive in the new capital city, which looked exactly the same as it did when the battle with Siren ensued inside. Many of the majestic, tall buildings were collapsed or very close to such, the stone streets were torn to shreds, piles of rubble lay scattered everywhere, and the collapsed bridge that had destroyed the esper woman was very prominent in the center of the large city. Residential areas were covered in debris, and many houses were without rooftops… such a pleasant-looking city had been reduced to that by just one esper. However, the thing that bothered Clyde the most when he had arrived in the first place was seeing the giant memorial statue of 'Shadow', but he obviously could not voice his feelings to his friends.

The many soldiers patrolling the streets looked up curiously as the imperial airship landed just outside the border. Moments later, they watched as Locke, Celes, Edgar, and Cyan entered the city with an obvious sense of urgency to their quick-paced walk.

"Ahoy, sirs! Come to see the Emperor again?" called one of the soldiers.

"No time to talk!" Locke said quickly as they zipped by.

Meanwhile, the others watched the landscape very meticulously from the airship, eyes peeled for any slight disturbance to the current peace. So far though, the deserted land around them remained very quiet and still. They could only guess what Thomas Geeda was up to in these critical moments.

"Do you think he'd bring his entire army here? Maybe he'll take one city at a time," said Sabin.

"There's no telling what Geeda will and will not do," said Clyde with an obvious hint of disgust in his voice.

"Clyde… you'll see her again. You will get her back," said Terra, knowing what was on Clyde's mind right now.

"Talking about that woman Geeda had in Mobliz?" said Setzer.

"She took care of me when I was in trouble… I owe her everything," Clyde whimpered.

"Never fear Sir Clyde! We will stop Mr. Geeda before he can even consider laying another hand on her!" Owzer exclaimed, punching the air.

"We fight bad Geeda man! Pound pound!" said Gau.

"I just hope the emperor can spare us some help… I'd hate to think his soldiers weren't able to defeat Ultros, especially after what it did to Mobliz," said Terra.

"Thomas Geeda will get what's coming to him!" Relm proclaimed stoutly, jabbing the air with her paintbrush as if to stab a virtual Thomas.

"I find it strange that we are unaware of this man's true intentions," said Siegfried.

"That was something I was wondering myself," Gogo added.

"Maybe he wants to bring the espers back into control?" Strago said.

"It's like the War of the Magi all over again is what he's doing."

"But is it really that simple?"

"Kefka's dream was simple enough… absorb magic, control the world, kill all who oppose?"

"Geeda hates Kefka though. There's no way he would devise a plan so similar… he's much smarter than we give him credit for."

"Well, he's obviously been giving magic powers to his little brainwashed followers. There's no way they could have just arbitrarily accessed that power when our three most magically powerful members are having trouble summoning their own power."

"Does he have the power to do even that though?"

"Why not? He has complete control over every esper we ever owned, and they aren't even in Magirock!"

"Still, when we fought those people, it did not take a whole lot to knock them down seeing as how only the Figaro soldiers were trained to fight. Is he just using these people as meat shields?"

"Well, he was at the castle when Terrato attacked… but Edgar never told us why he was there specifically."

"Maybe he made up a lie and was really there to plant the esper!"

"Whatever he _is_ doing, there is more than meets the eye to him and we just have to kick his ass before he kicks ours!"

"Well said. Very straightforward plan."

"Hey! I see some of the Figaro patrol! Maybe they can lend a hand! HEY GUYS! OVER HERE!" Sabin shouted towards a group of four soldiers riding their chocobos.

"Sabin, no! Geeda already had the Figaro sentries in town, what if he got to them here too?!" said Clyde.

"It's them!" shouted one of the chocobo-riding soldiers, pointing his palm towards the airship.

They all dropped to the floor as a blast of Fire exploded just above their heads.

"Looks like he has," said Gogo as he returned the spell at the soldiers, knocking one off his mount.

"Very well. If these individuals wish to throw away their innocence through Thomas Geeda… so be it," Siegfried growled as he unsheathed his sword, jumping off the airship and landing with a grunt onto the dirt below.

The three riders raised their deadly lances in the air and charged towards the vessel, the fourth member attempting to catch his chocobo that had opted to flee. They were soon upon the crouched form of Siegfried, who lunged straight forward and sliced across one's torso, denting his weak armor and throwing him to the ground. The other two poked and prodded with their lances, but the skilled swordsman deflected each blow with impressive dexterity. Then, Clyde joined the fray with his sword drawn, and he toppled another soldier from his ride. The two of them cooperated nicely to bring down the last soldier by grabbing hold of his weapon and forcefully pulling him from the bird's back. Now, four chocobos were running around the scene wildly, and the four Figaro troops attempted to gather their weapons to continue the battle.

"These men seem rather inadequate… how does Thomas hope to conquer the world with such inferiority?" Siegfried said with a chuckle, hacking one across his uncovered back.

The assault was over quicker than it had started, and the members on the airship watched as all four soldiers were knocked out of submission with seemingly little effort on Siegfried and Clyde's part, with very little blood drawn. From the city came the men guarding the entrance, looking on in shock at the fallen Figaro cavalry.

"What's going on here?!" demanded one of the imperials.

"We were attacked!" Clyde answered.

"Attacked by Figaro?" said another.

"It would certainly seem so would it not?" Siegfried replied irritably.

"What are you guys doing here anyway? Your friends came through in a rather large hurry," asked one.

"If you must know, we are trying to save your New Empire from being completely destroyed by Thomas Geeda!" Terra called from the ship, her arms crossed impatiently.

"What?! Is Geeda coming here?"

It was beginning to feel like everyone knew Thomas Geeda's name by now.

"We don't know yet… this is just a precaution," replied Clyde.

"Say, were you boys able to get rid of that giant octopus in Mobliz?" asked Sabin.

"We drove the beast off, but did not seem to leave much permanent damage. He took many of our soldiers with him."

"Well, you are going to have to be ready to make sacrifices on the battlefield now, because we're going to need your help when we assault Tom Geeda's town," Clyde explained.

"W-what? NO way! We aren't going _to _him!" said a panicked soldier.

"If the Emperor orders it, then it shall be done."

"Maybe you should tell them that he's brainwashed the citizens and military of Figaro!" Setzer shouted over his shoulder.

"He's what?!" cried the same panicked soldier.

"Brainwashed Figaro? This is dire news indeed!"

A loud, blaring siren sounded from the center of New Vector, and all of the soldiers immediately retreated their posts and made swift way towards the Imperial Capitol Building. This siren was their signal to report to the Grand Emperor, Lord Valkin and form battle ranks, as they were about to be sent off to fight. This marked the second time this device had been used, the first being the excursion to Mobliz only a day ago. Clyde and the others climbed back aboard the airship as the city guards sprinted down the streets with civilians looking on rather puzzled. Moments later, Locke returned with the other three and boarded, explaining that Valkin was more than happy to make an immediate assault on Thomas, especially after what Siren did to his city.

"Excellent! Let's get out of here and kick some ass!" Setzer shouted, bringing the airship roaring to life, the four unconscious Figaro scouts left in the dust.

It was an incredible sight to the people down below as an imperial airship full of armed infantry ascended from the city alongside the second airship the heroes rode, the military men wielding swords, spears, primitive MagiTek lasers (The New Empire considered gunpowder too unstable for use at this time), and other various tools of destruction. Given the circumstances, things were still rather disorganized, as the New Empire had only been formed less than a month ago, but this mission was handled with the utmost importance and was treated like the beginning of yet another war and the first foreign deployment of the armed forces. Many of the personnel, being former MagiTek troops, felt it odd to be fighting alongside members of The Returners, the previous Empire's greatest opponent under Emperor Gestahl, but they understood that the last regime was corrupted and greedy, and now was the time to redeem themselves for the greater good. With little time to spare, both flying vessels left the scene at full throttle, while the civilians of New Vector were ordered to take shelter within their homes, only a handful of elite fighters remaining behind.

"What is this, a mass invasion or something?!" Sabin said as he attempted to count the number of men on the deck of the second ship.

"The more, the better, brother. Geeda may have an army of incompetent mechanics and merchants on his side, but if they were to mass us by the hundreds, we would be completely swamped," said Edgar.

"Plus, I don't think he's going to waste his time by sending just one esper at us every few minutes. No… he's going to throw everything he has at us," Strago added.

"This is the first time we've actually made the offensive though… maybe we can catch him off guard?" noted Setzer.

"Catching Tom Geeda off guard is something I've dreamed about for days now," said Locke.

As they made way to their destination, Clyde began to delve deeply into his thoughts again. It had not even been a month since he crawled free of Kefka's fallen tower, and already it felt like this was the so-called 'final battle' that they seemed to experience so often… the climactic point where they would finally challenge the bad guy and would have to let fate decide the rest. Somehow, he figured that this was to be somewhat of a warm-up period before their true last battle, but he still got that strange fluttery feeling of nervousness when he looked at his friends around him.

These were the people that waited for him on the Floating Continent, the people that rescued him from the captivity of a vicious behemoth that was resistant to death. Not only did they accept him once before, but even now as a new man they accepted him again… despite Edgar's difficult personality at the time. They had already been through so much together over and over again, and they didn't even know who he was, save for Owzer, Strago, Relm, and Gogo. Maybe now was the time to let out the truth? What if someone died in battle and he never saw him or her again? What if he died in battle? What if they got separated forever? And Terra… he had surely made a fool of himself the previous night, and there was no way he could put himself in the way of death without doing the right thing. How would he do this though? He couldn't be too casual about it, but too much formality would make him seem cold. Why did he have to start thinking about crucial decisions at otherwise crucial moments?!

"So, what is this city like anyway? I've never even heard of it," asked Terra.

"Well, apparently he was building it to increase population and 'tourism' in the Figaro area… seeing as how everything suddenly became denser around New Vector. But, Thomas is kind of psychotic now, so who knows what he's planning to do with it? Maybe he's stopped building it completely while trying to erase us from existence," said Edgar.

"Holy s-" Relm began.

"Dear! Language please?!" Strago scolded, shaking his finger at her.

Both airships came to a sudden halt just above the Figaro desert, the railway visible just to the east, leading towards the side of the town and disappearing from view. Many of the passengers on either ship looked around confusedly until their attention was brought to the sight just ahead.

Everyone gasped.

The fact that New Vector had been built in a matter of nearly two months during Kefka's existence was subjected as a minimal achievement upon catching a glimpse of the city before them. First was the wall, a 4-story high, ten-feet thick barrier surrounding the entire burg. Then, the several steel-reinforced turrets upon which Figaro and Doma Castle soldiers alike (to Cyan's great shock) stood upon, that sat just outside the wall, spread apart by a few yards. Inside this seemingly impenetrable defense was a brimming township of thick buildings, tall houses, two massive, iron barracks, and a great black fortress that could only serve as the home for Geeda himself. With the sun shining directly upon the great mass, considerable activity could be seen within the walls. Robed mages were running up and down the brick-covered streets, crossbows and lasers similar to those of New Vector's arsenal were transported across the city to the men waiting in the turrets. Geeda knew to expect company, and he had been preparing _a lot_.

Setzer was scared to even move the airship forward an inch, staring wide-eyed at the active metropolis. Even the others had their moments of petrified fear when they saw what they were going up against. Not only would they have to fight their way inside, but the inside itself was covered in Thomas' new followers, who would make it nearly impossible to reach the fortress before it was completely locked down… not that it made much difference to their current preparations anyway.

"Setzer, what are you waiting for? Just… go," said Locke shakily.

"Holy crap," Sabin mumbled.

"Thomas could fry us all when we're grouped together in there," said Edgar.

"Holy crap," Sabin repeated.

"I love you guys," Setzer said quietly.

"Don't talk like that!" Relm snapped.

"How is all of that possible?!" said Strago.

"Holy crap."

"We have no choice," said Clyde.

"Where are the espers?" Celes wondered.

"There's an incredibly high concentration of magic here… they're somewhere close," said Terra.

"Holy crap!"

"Sabin, calm yourself!" said Siegfried.

"We have to do something! I think they can see us!" Owzer cried.

"We fight! Go go!" said Umaro.

"Holy crap!!"

"Mr. Thou! No panic!" Gau said as he shook Sabin by the shoulders.

"There is no turning back here," commented Gogo.

"Captain Setzer!" shouted the pilot for the imperials.

Setzer whipped his head in the direction of the middle-aged man flying the ship adjacent to his.

"It is your move! Lord Valkin has put us under your orders! What is your decision sir?" the pilot asked.

Captain Setzer? He liked that a lot. He actually liked it so much that a sudden boost of confidence seemed to surge throughout his body and drive his hands to thrust forward. The imperials followed right behind, closing the short distance to the fortified city. The other heroes were caught unawares at first, all of them dropping to the floor when the ship took off. However, when they realized what was happening, Setzer's own confidence seemed to gradually channel itself all around the ship.

"Yeah buddy! Go for it!" Sabin cheered, cracking his knuckles loudly with an incredibly drastic change of character within a few seconds.

Everything seemed to sort of flow freely now, as the tower sentries prepared their weapons and glared at the approaching war party, it all began to center around this single area as if nothing else was happening in the world. Already, Setzer was sweating profusely, even without his trademark coat, and his comrades were beginning to tremble nervously despite their heightened fortitude. Now was the point where they all realized that this could very well be the end… and they had to put in all of their effort to make this count. They had to protect each other and battle for each other to make this work, because they might not see each other again.

"Setzer! The lasers!" Edgar shouted.

Setzer nodded and pressed relentlessly on the trigger buttons. The powerful lasers hammered destructively into the great wall and turrets, vaporizing the metal supports and toppling at least two of the guard towers. The city reacted like a disturbed ant colony as pieces of the stone wall went flying into its infrastructure, Thomas Geeda's great 'army' deploying themselves as both flying vessels landed yards away from the ruined entrance of the grand capital of evil.

"This is it, guys! We kind of jumped into this thing head first, but let's finish what Mr. Geeda started!" Locke cheered, flailing his sword in the air.

_Author's Notes: This was kind of a difficult chapter to write, and I think I rushed through it a little. But hey, just take it for what it is. Hah. So, what you can basically expect from the next few chapters is a LOT of fighting, and it is so delicious.  
_


	31. Devastation

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXXI – Devastation**

When the first tide of imperial soldiers poured from the ship and approached the city entrance (a simple cut-out of the wall leading into the city), a stream of lasers and arrows rained down from the turrets, dispatching several men at once. The fix this problem, Terra, Celes, Strago, and Gogo concentrated as much magic as possible at the soldiers above, launching them from their posts with endless explosions of fire and lightning magic, while Gogo mimicked their powers. In quick retaliation, Geeda's mages began to unleash their own magic, toppling the imperial soldiers left and right. The next wave of soldiers cringed as they were forced to trample across the bodies of their fallen comrades, hardly able to get a single man past the entrance.

"Locke! We can't get through! What do we do?!" called Setzer as he hurled his Fixed Dice at a Doma soldier.

"I don't know! This crowding is too dense so I can't even get to the front lines!" Locke called back.

"Watch out!" shouted both Edgar and Sabin as they pushed through the crowd of soldiers.

Edgar fired a wide stream of Auto Crossbow bolts at the mass of brainwashed soldiers, recognizing many of them as his own with a sting of remorse as the bolts hit their targets. However, he could accept that his departure was hardly a sign of good faith for him, and they had been easily swayed by Thomas Geeda. Now was the time for them to meet their calling or pay the price. Sabin followed up with a crippling blast of his Air Blade, which worked excellently in repelling the horde of Thomas' defenders. Now, the imperial army easily forced its way into the city, swinging their weapons madly. The fight grew ever more intense as the concentration of fighters became denser. The imperials had already lost so many, but they quickly achieved the upper hand in this fight, due to a relatively low percentage of trained militarists from Figaro and Doma compared to the meager citizens who 'just wanted to get out and fight'.

"Be gone, tyrannical fiends!" cried an enemy wielding a massive wrench, attempting to knock anyone within reach over the head.

Cyan dispatched the man with a sharp blow from his elbow, leading a group of imperial female swordsmen down the street, cutting down anyone in their way. It was a magnificent sight as the heroes and the New Empire flooded in and Tom Geeda's army began to dwindle drastically, very close to becoming outnumbered with them fighting their way across the large city and nearing the great fortress. Locke and Siegfried battled side-by-side, hacking through the scores of inexperienced mages. The four magically adept warriors, Terra, Celes, Strago, and Gogo's mimicking, did not cease in their assault on the towers. Relm, Interceptor, and Clyde weaved through the back streets and alleyways, catching most of the enemy by surprise. Umaro, Mog, and Gau formed an unstoppable triad that forced itself straight through the masses, many of the Empire's men following right behind. Setzer and the Figaro brothers were now leading the foremost group of soldiers straight for the fortress, laughing victoriously all the while as their foes were toppled so soon after the battle had begun.

"We're doing it! We're winning now!" Sabin exclaimed.

Suddenly, a wide line of lightning bolts struck the ground before them, followed by a giant spray of fire, then a thin, freezing jet of ice. The trio cleared away just in time as the monstrous form of Tritoch landed on the destroyed street, clicking its large beak as its tongue flickered about. Before anyone could even consider an attack, the dragon esper kicked the three to the ground with its giant talons, letting out a piercing screech. It was caught by surprise, however, when the soldiers launched a stream of lasers and crossbow bolts at it. At first, Tritoch cowered away, and the imperials began to proceed forward; but in an instant, several became incinerated, others electrocuted, and yet others frozen, which led to the rest immediately taking cover. With so many of Geeda's human followers dead or otherwise out of commission, Tritoch now became the focus of this battle. Unfortunately, it proved difficult to approach the beast with three different elemental attacks shooting across the cityscape.

"Soldiers! Continue to take cover between or behind buildings and attack sparingly! Melee fighters fall back!" shouted an imperial lieutenant.

"We've defeated this beast before! We can do this!" Cyan called as he crept quietly closer.

Then, a terrifying and familiar roar sounded behind them, followed by Terra and Celes' screams as they sprinted into the city with Strago and Gogo. Bursting through the ruined wall and entrance behind them was the tough bulk of Bahamut, Tom Geeda visible on the dragon's back as a great cloud of dust and debris fell around him.

"Pincered!" Edgar growled, pulling out his Drill.

Strago quickly sprayed Tritoch with Aqua Breath before it could attack again, and Setzer followed up by stupefying it with his dice. This sort of strike was repeated on Bahamut with Terra and Celes hitting it hard with two Figa spells and Sabin risking his safety by pummeling the esper with Bum Rush. As the great Bahamut took its beating, Thomas quickly deflected Sabin with an accurate Demi spell that sent the heavy man falling to the ground, greatly weakened. Seeing the hero fall, the imperial soldiers quickly opened fire on whichever esper was nearest to them. Distracted by the stinging bolts and lasers, neither creature noticed as the heroes approached and prepared to make a sneaky attack, Sabin steadily crawling out of the way to recover with a high potion on hand.

Meanwhile, Owzer sat alone on the airship, watching the battle unfold fearfully. He wished that he could assist, but had absolutely no battle experience, no strength, no stamina, and an obvious weight problem. Oh what was he to do?

In the city, Clyde started feeling very nervous about the ensuing skirmish, and even as they seemingly sneaked up on the two espers, he began to feel like the fact that things started out so well would only lead to things ending up so badly. Then, he heard Interceptor barking and yelping, hopping up and down in the street… he was distressed too.

"Interceptor! Come on boy!" Relm called out, fearing that Bahamut would eventually notice him.

"Now!" Edgar shouted, thrusting his drill straight for Bahamut's leg.

"You will NOT harm my pets anymore, cretins! ULTIMA!" Geeda shouted with a very strange smile.

All of them felt their hearts sink at that sound. Even the remaining fighters on Geeda's side that had just began to recollect themselves for another attack feared for their lives. Natural time seemed to drop into a slow crawl when a great blue orb started to expand from the center of the city. The vibrant energy of this ultimate magic hummed and buzzed ominously as the orb grew and grew. Locke immediately tackled Celes to the ground and covered her protectively. Relm hastily did the same for Interceptor, and Strago did the same for her. Sabin did so for his brother, Umaro did so for Mog, Cyan did so for Gau, Gogo did so for Setzer, which took him completely by surprise, and Siegfried huddled behind the safety of a two-story house. Lastly, Clyde made only a second's eye contact with the frightened Terra, and without even thinking about it, he tackled her down just as the others had done to their friends and loved ones. He held her firmly to the ground and quickly sought out one of her free hands. He found his target and gripped tightly with his trembling fingers. Terra simply responded by giving his hand a light squeeze as if to say, "Everything was going to be all right." And that made all the difference in the world.

As the spell passed over, everyone in its path writhed and screamed in pain. The blue plasma tore through many of the buildings and slowly crumbled and cracked the walls, almost burning through the skin of the weaker individuals it had targeted. No one but the espers and Thomas Geeda were spared from the seemingly endless suffering, and the spell continued to balloon outward slowly.

"Yes, yes… scream out loud you weaklings!" Geeda taunted, Tritoch and Bahamut letting out low grumbles that seemed to mimic his insulting laugh.

Clyde and his friends cringed as they felt their clothes and (in Siegfried and Cyan's case) armor being lightly stripped away by the Ultima, small and sharp burns creeping up their backs. Then, unlike its slowed generation, the spell simply vanished when it had reached its limit. Surprisingly, most of Tom's city received minimal damage, and only a small cluster of less important structures were on the verge of collapsing. However, in the magic's wake remained a vast battlefield full of fallen men and women. Many were either completely dead or in a status that could only be cured by a Phoenix Down, and the survivors stayed motionless on the ground, far too weakened to move. The small exception to this was the heroes, who had achieved a great deal of battle experience in their many journeys, which had served to prepare them for encounters with such magic. Granted, it was no picnic to withstand Ultima, but none of them were calling it quits yet. But, they remained still on the ground both to rest for a moment and slip themselves some healing items, and to keep Tom Geeda at bay.

"Such a pity that it had to end like this. I had hoped to spare a few more lives," Thomas said with mock sorrow clear in his voice.

Tom carefully climbed down from his mount, observing each of the fallen warriors and soldiers. He walked forward and stepped across the bodies, taking note who was alive and who was dead. In truth, he cared less about his "followers" or the imperials, and quickly brought his attention to the main source of his grief.

"How precious… so protective of each other, and so sacrificial. Heroics sicken me."

Geeda drew his sword and stopped in front of Locke crouched over Celes, sneering at them.

"And you two… I can only assume that your affection goes beyond friendship. Now, here you are ready to die in each other's arms. I'm going to feel good doing this," he said as he raised his sword into the air.

He almost did not catch it when Locke shifted to the side, allowing Celes to stab at Thomas with her concealed sword. When her attack was blocked, Locke revealed his own sword and lunged for him as well. When Geeda attempted to use Thunga, Celes thought quickly and used Runic just in time, absorbing the magic into her sword. Their friends looked up in confusion and instantly leapt to their feet with some incredibly sore limbs, watching the battle unfold. However, a few distractions kept them from jumping in at that moment. Sabin and Setzer were almost completely bare-chested, torn rags of their former shirts hanging on their shoulders. Edgar's long braid of hair had been vaporized off, giving his blonde head a messier and more ragged look. Umaro was missing patches of fur, Siegfried had lost his right arm guards and the right side of his chest plate, Cyan was almost completely without armor, Relm's paintbrush had evaporated, half of Clyde's shirt had gone, and Gogo's robes looked like shredded towels… and she stood without her helmet.

"Woah! Gogo is a pretty woman?!" exclaimed Sabin.

"Kupo! Gogo is girl?!"

Everyone ignored the duel between Tom and Locke and Celes, including Tritoch and Bahamut, who held back only on their master's whim as Geeda seemed to find entertainment watching the two grimace as they waved their sore arms about. The heroes simply stared in awe at the blonde-haired beauty that stood in Gogo's colorful, ripped garb… and Setzer seemed absolutely dumbstruck and possibly on the verge of tears, as if he were staring at an angel.

"Setzer," she said in a soft, kindly voice that Clyde recalled from the previous night.

"D-D-Daryl," he choked, a small tear rolling down his cheek.

"Daryl?!" Sabin and Edgar gasped, both of their memories launching back to their chance meeting with Setzer in Kohlingen, just after the collapse of the world.

Clyde had no idea who this Daryl was, but he vaguely recalled the name. Obviously it was a big shock to Setzer though. The others were as clueless as he, and did not know what to make of this slightly awkward scene, even as a duel raged around them.

"I'm so sorry for this deception… but it was necessary for me to uphold that identity," said Daryl.

"They never found the body with the wreck… I always assumed…"

"Oh Setzer… I will explain everything when we get out of this."

"I… I'm just glad you're alive…" Setzer whispered.

Daryl made a move to approach him, but was interrupted when Locke and Celes came sliding across the ground.

"Thanks for the help, guys!" Locke groaned.

The still armed drew their weapons when Thomas approached, kicking a wounded soldier out of his way.

"Playing possum… how innovative," he laughed.

"Brainwashing close-minded people… how innovative. Kind of like Kefka's mage's tower on the Serpent Road. You and he seem to have a lot in common!" said Clyde, Terra gasping behind him when Tom's eyes grew wide.

"I TOLD YOU TO NEVER COMPARE ME TO HIM!" he screamed hatefully.

"The resemblance is uncanny, you clown!" Clyde continued.

"Clyde, no!" Terra cried.

Tom let out a furious yell and knocked them off their feet with his Shockwave spell. He gave them a purposeful glance with his mad expression, then sprinted towards his fortress while Tritoch and Bahamut suddenly became active. Clyde felt his stomach flip when he realized the villain's intention. He boldly jumped to his feet and dashed after Geeda down the street. Mostly healed from the pair of high potions Terra passed to him, Clyde still felt completely exhausted and worn out from the effects of the spell, and his friends fought against the same symptoms. Though most of the others followed right after him, when Tritoch fired a shot only Celes, Sabin, and Gau were able to keep up with Clyde. The others became trapped in between the two dragon espers.

"Wonderful…" Siegfried groaned.

Clyde had to hurry. He could not let Thomas win this time. He kicked in more speed when Thomas raced up the great stone steps to his fortress, blasting the heavy doors open with Flare. The four pursuers followed him up a lengthy flight of stairs in the wide entrance hall. Before reaching the top, Thomas impeded them with a Fira and then broke his way through the wooden door at the end. He ran into a bleak, stony room with his sword held tight, panting heavily as he looked around the dim, torch lit chamber hungrily. Then, he spotted his desire, a weak old woman crumpled on the floor.

"It seems your friend has enjoyed pushing me over the edge! I certainly wish it were possible for me to spare an innocent life such as yours… unfortunately this has become a rather difficult choice and I bid you a hopefully swift death!" he shouted as he aimed his blade for Rosa's throat.

"NO!" Clyde roared as he came storming in.

Geeda's sword was inches away from flesh before Clyde deflected the blade. With savage fury, Clyde acted just as Locke had on the airship only hours earlier. He viciously swung his sword at Geeda, who required the use of all his strength to block and parry the assault. As this occurred, the other three worked together to free Rosa, preparing to accompany her to safety, just as Clyde wanted, and Tom Geeda would not have this.

"Pearl!" he shouted, knocking Clyde into the opposite wall of the room.

He then threw his hand towards the doorway and blasted it with Flare, knocking Sabin and Gau headfirst down the stairs, while Rosa and Celes fell flat on their faces, dust and smoke hovering above their heads and pouring into the room. Huddled against the wall, Clyde gripped his sword tightly, looking for even a glimpse of his enemy through the occluding material. Catching the sound of his laugh and the silvery glint of his sword, Clyde heaved himself to his feet and launched his own weapon through the air. When he heard the successful sound of the steel piercing through skin, he ran to his friends' aid and helped them to their feet while Thomas let out a loud cry of pain. Ignoring his furious grunts, Clyde took Rosa by her feeble hand and carefully led her down the steps while Celes quickly cured Sabin and Gau just in time as Geeda came stumbling from the room with Clyde's sword stuck right through his left shoulder, looking particularly manic with his messy and dirty hair, sadistic eyes, and blood covering his blue clothes.

"Go! Run! Keep her away from the espers!" Clyde shouted, letting his friends pass so that if Thomas took any of them, it would be him.

"You bastard!" Geeda snarled, turning the tables by hurling his sword at Clyde, the blades slicing deeply across his right thigh, drawing a great deal of blood and bringing him to his knees on the steps.

Celes let Sabin and Gau take care of Rosa while she spun around and ran to help Clyde, holding her sword with both hands. When she reached the stairs again, however, she watched Clyde pick up the bloody sword just behind him and throw it straight into Thomas Geeda's abdomen. Tom let out a choked gurgle as he staggered backwards, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly, attempting to retch it from his body. Clyde then limped the way down and fell against Celes' outstretched arm, and she helped him depart the great fortress.

It was strange for her to watch him throw like that again… that time when they fought Phunbaba not too long ago came back to mind… and she had a sudden realization when things began to piece together so firmly. However, given the circumstances, she dared not say what she thought.

"That was a good shot, Clyde…" she said quickly.

"It held him back, but he's definitely not dead," Clyde gasped as he clutched his wounded leg, not even considering the consequences of his actions.

When they arrived outside, Tritoch had just set a grouping of houses ablaze, Edgar and Locke running out of reach of the flames just in time. The destruction from the battle between the humans was nothing like it was now. Buildings were toppled left and right, Bahamut and Tritoch's large forms tearing up the area as they swiped and snapped at the running heroes. Just ahead, Sabin and Gau were leading Rosa along the far right wall of the town, away from the battle and towards the great hole that served as the entrance.

"We have to help fight," said Clyde.

"No… we have to get you on the ship," Celes retorted, pulling him along with her as she followed Sabin and Gau's path.

Clyde felt so hopeless as he watched his friends ducking and dodging across the streets, being completely powerless against the great beasts in such a cramped and ruined space. The bodies of soldiers served as a dire impediment to their progress, but now only a few of the Empire's soldiers had begun to stir, and they wasted no time in seeking out cover or crawling helplessly back to the airship.

"Die you villains!" shouted a voice from behind.

As a teenaged girl with a heavy metal bar jumped from behind a small shop, Clyde used his good leg to kick the brat in the face. The kid dropped to the ground right after, clutching her face with a broken nose. Shrugging off the minor inconvenience, Celes continued to tug Clyde along as he limped through the city.

"Thunga! Come on! THUNGA!" cried Strago, receiving no response as he tried to cast his magic.

"Grandpa! Just run!" Relm cried, following Interceptor around the piles of rubble and soldiers towards the entrance.

"Locke! We've got to get out of here!" said Edgar.

"That's a little difficult with that big freaking dragon standing in the way!"

"Wait a minute, what the hell?!" Setzer exclaimed, looking out past the city.

Daryl appeared behind him and set her hands on his shoulders, peering over him to get a good look.

"Is the airship moving?!" she cried.

With a sort of hesitant jolt, their airship did indeed lift off a few feet into the air, the bow of the vessel rotating so that it faced the city. From his angle, Setzer swore he saw the form of Sir Owzer standing at the helm.

"Oooh! Blast! How do those kids operate such strange technology?!" Owzer said in a panic, his hands shaking as he gripped the controls.

"What's going on?!" Siegfried shouted from behind a single brick wall in the city, having tossed his partially disintegrated helmet aside previously to distract Tritoch... to no avail.

"Wait! Setzer did something with these buttons!" said Owzer, mashing the red buttons with his thumbs.

The ship lasers fired straight through the many holes in the surrounding wall, hitting the mark right on Bahamut's outstretched wings. Infuriated by this disturbance, the esper turned its body around quickly, smashing through several buildings with its thick tail. Owzer suddenly made eye contact with the beast's great red eyes… freezing with petrified fear at that moment, his body shaking nervously.

"Shit! He's seen Owzer! We have to run!" Setzer hollered.

"Ugah! We go! Run fast! Big bird no catch!" Umaro barked loudly as he tore off down the street, Mog clinging frightfully to his back.

Chaos erupted in the battle as they all dashed for their only exit. Setzer pulled Daryl along by the hand, having difficulty weaving through the debris in their path. Terra, Locke, and Edgar began helping some of the rejuvenated soldiers that way, which slowed them down further. Sabin and Gau did not know what to do with Bahamut leering just over the entrance, understanding that Rosa most likely could not run out with them very quickly. Tritoch sent fire, lightning, and ice bolts in every direction as its prey scattered around like ants. Relm and Interceptor barely made it under Bahamut's legs, followed closely by Strago and Cyan, with Siegfried coming in a close third alongside Umaro and Mog. If it was bad enough that Tritoch launched attacks blindly, things only got worse when the surviving members of the Legion of the People came storming from their cover inside and behind buildings, coming straight for Locke and Edgar first, then a second half dashing for Sabin, Gau, and Rosa.

"We are close to victory! The master has almost won!" shouted a former Doma knight.

Bahamut growled deeply as it began to charge its Mega Flare attack, aiming right for the hovering airship. By this time, Relm had just pushed Interceptor on to the deck and was crawling up her self (having great difficulty in reaching the high ladder), her hat finally falling free of her head after the grueling battle.

"Sir Owzer! Just press the buttons!" she cried, her messy blonde hair draped over her red face.

This seemed to snap the large man out of his terrified trance, and he hastily bashed the red buttons with his thumbs. Bahamut foresaw this attack by only a second and quickly folded its scaly wings across its body, ceasing the Mega Flare attack to defend itself. The blue laser blasts pounded into its thick hide with no effect other than forcing it to stumble backwards after each strike. But, Owzer did not let up on firing at the esper, and more of the heroes had made it onto the ship, continuing to have difficulty reaching the levitating ladders.

"Gau! We have to keep her safe!" Sabin grunted as his fists went flying around their assailants.

Gau easily dispatched several with his vicious Rage attacks, not letting one get within three feet of Rosa, who stood between the two men with a mixture of fear and awe as she watched them protect her. Celes and Clyde were swift upon this battle, and though Clyde could not fight well and Celes' magic was no longer working for her at the moment, they all worked together in repelling the attack, edging their way carefully to the entrance of the city, where Bahamut had backed up several yards from the relentless laser assault. Unfortunately, as these five made their escape, Locke, Edgar, Terra, Setzer, Daryl, and the handful of imperials with them became trapped by the Legion of the People, this group consisting completely of the trained Doma guards and mages.

"Y'know, MagiTek might've actually been useful here," whispered a soldier.

Then, their savior came in a most ironic form of grace. Tritoch's wild shooting had hit head on right in the middle of the bad guys, scattering them across the ground and giving the heroes their last chance for escape, which they took. After this battle, it was impossible to save anyone else from the danger of the rampaging espers, and that group slipped past Bahamut's left foot and practically threw themselves out of the city, stumbling across the desert ground where the airship waited for them, the lasers sitting still. It had been a hellish and terrible day, where victory had seemed so certain in the beginning, but began to fade away as the last survivors heaved themselves aboard the ship, where Setzer finally ran to the controls and launched off into the sky before Tritoch or Bahamut could think to follow them.

The two great espers finally calmed down, and the Legion of the People regrouped its numbers, still having considerable mass in comparison to the percentage of their opposition that had lived.

"Where is the master? I saw him enter the battle and flee to his fortress!"

"Look! He approaches!"

They watched in heavy anticipation as Thomas Geeda came casually strolling down the street, purposefully stepping on the bodies of his defeated enemies, even pausing to spit on the helmet of one. His followers gasped when he came into clearer view, having a clear concern about his bleeding mouth, the large wound in his shoulder and his abdomen, and his ripped blue uniform.

"Do not fear for my appearance, my most loyal soldiers… this battle is far from over, and now is the time to commence my final plan. I will just need a few moments to rest and to call for my other defenders. Prepare yourselves as well, for we will be returning to Figaro Castle within the next hour, and my final plans will be complete and we will be successful in delivering this world to the right people… not those power-hungry monsters."

With that, the people let out their rallying cries of support, cheering on their leader as he grinned devilishly.

_Author's Notes: Yet another difficult chapter to write, and probably a little speedy... I've just been eager to reach the climactic point of this epic hero story, only chapters away! I hope you enjoy it though… things are beginning to get intense. What can we expect soon? Well, Daryl will most certainly recount her tale, we will learn what Thomas desires, and the final battle for this portion of Clyde's tale nears steadily. Yes, more fighting still. Stay tuned!_


	32. Shadow Revealed

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXXII – Shadow Revealed**

They all arrived safely in Tzen not more than a minute later. Clyde and Rosa were dropped off along with Terra, Daryl, Relm, Interceptor, Strago, and Owzer, while the others would take the imperial soldiers back to New Vector to tell the tale of their huge losses.

"Ooh… it feels so good to be home. Clyde, I cannot thank you enough for coming to my rescue," Rosa said with a smile as Clyde escorted her to her house while the people of Tzen came rushing out of their houses.

"What's going on here? Rosa?!"

"They brought her back!"

"Rosa, you mean so much to me… I couldn't let anything happen to you after you cared for me in my weakness."

By the time Rosa had been set back into her house and made comfortable, the remaining team returned not much later from New Vector and convened together in her domicile, where they were treated to fresh lemonade that felt so refreshing after the mayhem they had escaped. With a short retelling of their business in the capital city, it was learned that the New Empire would be reforming their remaining troops to prepare defenses in case Geeda returned assault. For now, they could do nothing.

"This lemonade is so delicious!" Sabin said joyfully, chugging down his glass and beckoning for refills, sitting still shirtless on the floor.

"Anyway, while he pigs out on a fruit beverage, let's discuss _our_ plan of action," said Edgar, flipping his loose hair out of his face.

"No," said Sezter.

All heads turned to him curiously.

"I want Daryl to have the floor," he continued.

Daryl bowed her head submissively and closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that the time had come for her explanation that she owed to Setzer after so long.

"Pardon my rudeness, but who exactly are you miss?" Siegfried wondered, not as surprised as the others to discover Gogo's gender.

"Daryl is my best friend and the original owner of the Falcon… one day after she and I raced our ships, she never came back home and the wreckage was discovered a year later, and it was assumed that her body just went missing," Setzer explained.

Some of them gasped slightly.

"After the wreck, I was in pretty bad shape… I couldn't move, could barely see and breathe… I thought I was dead for sure," said Daryl.

They listened intently now.

"Then, I heard someone approach… didn't know who it was, but I had a feeling that they weren't there to harm me. It was a man, and he said to me, 'Do not fear, child. I am here to help. Take my hand, and you will survive.'"

"Wait, so you just took a stranger's-"

"Shutup Sabin," Setzer barked.

"I took his hand, and I woke up later inside a very strange cave… the cave you guys found me in as Gogo. The man who rescued me was actually named Gogo, also a mimic, and his robes were just like mine, only more red than yellow in color. He kind of made a deal with me that, for me to live out a full life in the future and to get out into the world, I had to 'uphold his identity after his own death', which was very imminent. Now that I look back, I think I spent more time in the cave than anywhere else, though. But naturally I wanted to be able to escape and see my friends again, so I accepted his deal and donned the yellow robes, learned the way of the simulacrum and turned myself into the next Gogo. I don't know if he set a time limit on my service, but I suppose now is the time to give up that identity."

"And you never thought to confide in me?" Setzer said accusingly.

"Setzer, I couldn't break my cover… I didn't know what would happen. What if he had cursed me to die if I revealed myself?"

Setzer fell silent at this, and the others felt incredibly awkward.

"I wanted to tell you, believe me I did! When your friends came and found me the first time, I had a sudden feeling of hope that I would encounter you again… and that I did. The instant I set eyes upon you again, I wanted to run up and hold you so tightly and tell you everything that happened… but I didn't want to risk it. If something had happened to me and I had been cursed, then I might never be able to see you again, and I couldn't even think about that. Thus, I kept my identity secret so that I could be with you always… and maybe that was selfish of me, but I couldn't lose you!"

The strange silence continued, and not a person moved, save for Gau who was fidgeting in his seat with very little comprehension as to what she was saying, given his selectively short attention span. Even Rosa had frozen with her jug of lemonade, eyes shifting nervously every which way to see if anyone would speak up. Daryl opened her mouth to speak again, but Setzer suddenly jumped out of his seat, strolled right up to her and kissed her passionately. Terra, Celes, and Relm melted inside just watching the beautiful picture as the two embraced with their lips locked together. Siegfried, Cyan, and Edgar gave a unanimous, flippant sigh as they buried their faces in their hands to distract them from the mushiness of the scene.

"Oh man, I could totally use some popcorn!" Sabin jested, watching them with a wide-eyed expression.

"Easy boy, maybe we should give them some _privacy_!" Locke joked.

When the two lovers finally broke apart for air, Sabin let out a loud wolf whistle, earning a scornful glare from Relm. Both Daryl and Setzer could not help but smile as they stood, holding each other close in the company of their best friends. It was like the drama of the battle had washed away, and everything was beginning to stabilize once again. Edgar even forgot about his eagerness to discuss their plans. They all knew that the time would come for them to depart once more to stop Thomas, but that could most certainly wait to accommodate their improving moods.

"I'm sure you all would fancy a nice supper, yes?" Rosa asked with a charitable smile.

"Mm, Miss Rosa… it would be an honor to dine from your cooking," Setzer said with a grin.

"Hear, hear!" Strago cheered, raising his lemonade glass.

"Mm! Good food!" said Umaro.

"Yes, a meal for our heroes of the hour!" cried Owzer.

"Hey! Don't single yourself out Sir Owzer! You kicked some ass today!" Relm praised, earning a wide smile from the man.

As the sun began to drop towards the horizon, the mood grew even lighter while Rosa prepared a very large supper for her plenty guests and they let the past few hours fade from their consciences for the time being.. The injured had been healed with a round of potions from the store. No one had a single thought on their fight in Geeda's city. No one had a worry in the world right now, and found it best to enjoy each other's company while things had calmed down. Setzer, Sabin, Clyde, and Daryl were even fitted with some fine extra clothes that Rosa carried, making them much more physically comfortable, almost to the point of completely forgetting that they had been hit with an Ultima spell. Even Interceptor, the most reclusive of them all, found it high time to join in the good feelings all around.

"Man, it's been great being with you guys," said Locke, toasting his lemonade glass.

"Cheers to that!" Cyan replied.

"Kupo!" added Mog.

"I just can't believe we've come so far in a matter of days… we've got quite a distance ahead, but I think we can make it," said Terra.

"Definitely!" said Relm.

Celes knew what she had to do.

"Yeah, and we would not have even made it this far without the extra help. Sir Owzer, you've been amazing… and Shadow, you've been as impressive as ever," she said casually.

"Hey thanks, Celes. I always-" Clyde stopped immediately when it dawned on him like something slapping him in the face, and an icy cold feeling swelled within as he grew tense.

The entire room became dead silent, and no one made a move. They all stared at him in disbelief, and his heart began racing. The silence was broken when Terra gasped loudly and dropped her glass a second after the shock. No one else even flinched when it shattered on the floor.

"No…" Locke breathed.

It was as if the entire world was observing him now. He couldn't hide, he couldn't run… he was trapped now, and he had practically given himself away. Celes… how did she know?

"No one else throws like you do. I didn't even think about the connection when I saw you on the Serpent Road… but when you hit Thomas in the castle it came right to me. And I remembered you calling Interceptor's name effortlessly at Figaro when Terrato attacked, and he came," she explained shakily.

"I…" Clyde was lost for words.

"Oh man… it was you all along…" said Sabin, running his hands through his hair stressfully.

"W-why would you hide from us?" Terra sobbed.

"We already knew," said Strago as he set his hands on Relm's shoulders.

"As did I," said Owzer.

"Me too," Daryl added, receiving a puzzled gaze from Setzer.

"Sir Shadow… you have deceived us this whole time? Surely there was no curse upon _you_!" Cyan said coldly.

"Ok, I can't explain myself… I really can't. I just wanted to throw my identity away I guess. I wasn't hiding from you… I was hiding from it, and I didn't want 'Shadow' to exist anymore," said Clyde.

"And you just sat there while we talked about you… not understanding what you meant to us?" Celes shot.

"What did you expect me to do? I didn't want to be Shadow anymore! I wanted to be a new man that could be accepted for what he truly was… not some dark-hearted façade with no emotions!"

"That's why you have to look within for the right answers instead of choosing to run! Unless… you have no guilt about your deception," Terra whimpered as her eyes began to water.

"Oh he looked within alright… and all he found was some hothead coward that wanted to act brave in front of his friends to be something he's not," Edgar growled.

"Don't you-" Clyde started.

"No! Shut up. You are a great warrior and an excellent comrade. But when you come back to us trying to change your personality by throwing away something that is a part of you… that's just bullshit. Sure, maybe you are brave and strong like Clyde… but you're a filthy coward for denying what you made yourself. Not everyone in the world liked the 'Shadow style', sure… but that was your identity, man. That was who we knew you and accepted you as… not a fake carbon copy," Edgar retorted, and Clyde knew that he was right.

"Selfish!" Gau commented, having become very interested now.

"Ah! Doggy likes Shadow!" Umaro said, finally realizing Interceptor's affection for Clyde he saw that very morning.

"Kupo! We were your friends as Shadow, so why couldn't you let us know? Maybe you did want to throw it away, but does that give you reason to keep us in the dark? It's kinda mean!"

"You know you could have trusted us," said Locke.

"I KNOW! I JUST DIDN'T TRUST MYSELF I GUESS!" Clyde exploded, causing them all to jump.

With that, he stormed out of the house in silence, leaving them all to sit in the room quietly… all of the happiness sucked from the room. Rosa had half a mind to follow, but held her place knowing that Clyde had to deal with the problem himself. However, Clyde found no relaxation when he went outside into the empty village. It was almost as if he was meant to be alone now… becoming completely alienated from his friends by this sudden revelation. The world was still, and no one was around to be his company. Not a soul.

"Dammit," he growled.

Suddenly, the ground gave a violent shake, throwing Clyde off balance for a moment. Then, a loud boom sounded to the north, and he whipped his head that way to see the faint shapes of flying creatures dancing around the horizon. One, he could tell, was Bahamut… but the others were different than anything he had seen, and they must have been espers they had yet to encounter. Thomas Geeda was still active, and he was plotting.

"What's going on?!" shouted Locke as he came running from the house, the entire team following in a tight crowd.

As soon as they caught a glimpse of the shadowy figures in the distance, they made a mad dash for the airship, Rosa standing in the doorway with a very quizzical look.

"No dinner before you go off to save the world? Well alright then! Try to come back and eat when you're through!" she called to the group, turning her attention to Clyde next, who stood alone on the street.

He had no idea what to say at the moment.

"Clyde, these people are your best friends. They love you and care about you so much… don't let yourself disappoint them," she said.

"I already h-"

"No you haven't, boy! You have to believe in yourself enough to show them that they mean as much to you as you do to them! So quit standing there like an idiot and go save the world! Supper will be ready when you return!" she scolded with a small smile.

"Thank you for everything Rosa," he said, bowing his head slightly and chasing after his friends.

When he made it to the airship, it seemed that Daryl, Strago, Relm, Owzer, and Siegfried were the only ones paying attention to him at all. Even when Siegfried pulled him up the ladder and he accidentally bumped into Sabin, he was completely unnoticed.

"Never fear Sir Clyde… a clear understanding for all will come soon," said the half-armored warrior.

"Thank you Siegfried… even though we never met before this," replied Clyde.

"Well, that is not entirely true… as there was never a Siegfried impostor and it was I thou encountered on the Phantom Train… a petty and immature thief who still had a lot to learn despite the experience I held. But, let's keep this between us, as I think enough secrets have been revealed today."

Clyde gave him an honest nod and they held on tightly to the guardrail as the ship lifted into the sky, catching the observation of some of the Tzen townsfolk that had come to inspect the quick tremor. Not even bothering to seek the help of the New Empire, they headed straight for the desert, where Thomas was sure to be… and sure enough, the espers were flying right over the resurfaced Figaro Castle, looking very worn from its attack by Terrato.

As they neared, it was as if an alarm had been set and the flying beasts soared right towards them immediately. Among them were Bahamut, a strange looking dragon with many large horns on its body, a black and red demon-like monster, a large and ugly fairy, a four-winged and very distorted bird, and Tritoch. Setzer fired two quick shots of the ship's lasers and then directed the airship to the ground. Everyone jumped from the deck onto the cushion of the sand on his order, and he took to the sky alone, with all six fliers making pursuit. Then, Edgar led the way forward to the castle, where they were all greeted by a large group of mages. Strago tried his Aqua Breath but failed. Terra tried her Flare but failed. Celes tried her Pearl but failed. Edgar shot them all down with his Auto Crossbow and succeeded, pushing his way through the injured evildoers and kicking open the castle doors.

"Let's finish this! Not even my own people will stop me!" he shouted.

Staying to the back with the people who still accepted him, Clyde followed them through the castle, where Geeda's followers were waiting at every turn. For a moment, he was actually without a weapon until a former Figaro guard had been disarmed of his, and Clyde fetched the sword for his own. As mayhem began in the castle, the battle erupted with incredible intensity. Edgar was hurled into a wall by a heavyset man that came swinging down from the ceiling, and the group became a segmented mess when more enemies rushed through.

"This is impossible! How are there so many?! We took out most of them in the city!" Locke shouted, spinning around blindly with his sword outstretched in the outdoor center of the castle.

The scattered heroes had much difficulty in working together like this. Some remained in the entry hall, others were in the outside area just after it, and Sabin and Cyan had just forced their way into the hall leading to the throne room, where six seemingly stationary suits of armor were now being worn by some particularly vicious-looking men, brandishing their swords wildly.

"For Lord Geeda!" called one, cutting right across Sabin's exposed shoulder.

"OW! YOU-"

Cyan quickly jumped in front of his friend and dealt the attacker a stunning blow from his Dispatch Sword Technique. He then disabled four more with Quadra Slice, leaving the last to be blasted into the wall by Sabin's Aura Bolt. Behind them, a female mage came tearing into the room, knocking them to the floor with Blizzga. Before she could cast another spell, however, Terra brought her sword across the woman's back and sent her to the floor. Further back in the castle, Umaro was violently hurling his enemies over the side of the ramparts, watching as they fell helplessly into the sand far below. Mog helped out by tripping many of them with his spear.

"They just… keep… coming!" said Daryl as she mimicked Edgar's Drill attack.

Siegfried came flying from the entrance hall, his sword slicing through countless enemy warriors without a single disturbance to his airborne stride. Behind him came Owzer, who was being covered by Gau, Strago, and Interceptor.

"Sir Owzer! You don't belong in this fight!"

"Quiet lad! I am part of this team now, and I do belong amongst your ranks!"

The battle was beginning to shape up as the team reconnected, strengthening their fight with much more efficient teamwork. Even Strago was able to repel an assault with a successful casting of Aqua Breath, saving himself and Owzer from impalement by a large, thick lance.

"Try to stay together!" shouted Locke as he backed up against Celes, the two of them fighting a group that had just attempted to surround them.

Clyde came rushing back into the battle just as the doors from the throne room hallway burst open, Terra, Cyan, and Sabin flying through the air and landing hard on the stone floor outside. Thomas Geeda came stomping out with his empty palm raised to the heroes, looking completely clean with a new blue uniform identical to his old one, and a blood-free face. Clyde was the only one to catch his entrance, and ducked down when Flare exploded in between the group, scattering them all even more. Then, Thomas unleashed a barrage of attacks such as his Shockwave magic, Pearl, Figa, Blizzga, Thunga, Flare, Quake, and lastly Meteor, which sent every last one of them falling over the edge of the castle and down to the desert. This intense concentration of power made their resistance useless and left them weakened as they landed in the hot sand next to some of Geeda's minions.

"I knew you would come, and I feel that I prepared well for your arrival, yes? Now if you will excuse me, we will be going beneath the sand now!" Tom called, walking merrily to the entrance hall where he would turn right to locate the engine room.

"Screw that!" Edgar growled, using all of his remaining strength to crawl around to the castle entrance.

"Oh! I hope Setzer is ok," Daryl cried as she pulled herself from the ground, wincing at a sudden sting in her back from the fall. She looked around the sky fearfully, but saw nothing of the airship.

Figaro Castle rumbled as Geeda engaged the submerging mechanism and the side turrets slowly retracted towards the main structure. With a slower operation than normal, Edgar beckoned madly for his friends to get inside. Locke and Celes leapt in first, hardly able to stand from the fall, and the rest followed soon afterwards as the great castle began to descend into the desert sands. When Owzer had limped inside with the assistance of Terra and Umaro, Clyde was just then rushing towards the sinking building, with Edgar shutting the doors of the castle.

"No! Edgar!" Clyde shouted, waving his arms.

The king paused for a moment when sand began to filter into the entryway, having risen far above the steps to the front doors. He glanced at Clyde with an obvious hesitation before giving a defeated sigh.

"Come on Clyde!" he shouted, reaching out his hand as the other man stumbled across the desert.

Edgar pulled him in and shut the door just in time as Figaro Castle suddenly made its steep submersion and sank deeply into the ground and began to move through the earth. As they began to recollect themselves, Geeda's troops came running up from both sets of stairs on each side of the room from the basement/engine room and the prison. In the incredibly cramped space, not a single weapon could get close to a living target, and the sounds of clashing metal echoed everywhere until Celes sent multiple blasts of Fira at the men from the prison level, which was copied by Daryl for the engine room attackers. It was amidst this uncontrollable chaos that Clyde remembered something about the night before… the dream where he saw the underground cave in which the Master Pug was fought. The castle then gave an incredible lurch as it stopped suddenly.

"Geeda is going to the Ancient Castle!" Clyde shouted.

"How do you know?" Strago called as he poked an ugly woman fighter in the eye.

"Trust me! He's going there!"

"What makes you think we can trust you?" Locke asked skeptically.

"If you can trust Shadow… then you can trust Clyde," he answered stoutly, kicking a soldier out of the way as he ran down the steps to the prison, which remained smashed from Terrato's slithering up them not long before.

"He's right. Shadow is our friend, and Clyde is too!" said Edgar, to everyone else's surprise.

"Let us hurry then! Sir Clyde will be quite unfortunate to encounter Thomas on his own!" said Owzer.

As more soldiers began to appear from the engine room, Sabin unleashed his Fire Dance, while Edgar used the Auto Crossbow, Cyan did the Quadra Slice, and Terra summoned Flare to her own surprise. ("It sucks that magic is so unpredictable!" said Relm.) Locke then led the way after Clyde to the prison, where their friend waited patiently for them by the entrance to the Ancient Castle cave, several villains lying around him in puddles of blood.

"About time," Clyde said with a smirk.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun!" Locke replied.

The two men shared a firm handshake and made quick way into the open prison chamber, passing through the dark aperture in the wall and entered the cave. Their moments here were critical, and it was most important for them to seek Thomas Geeda, and stop his plans, whatever they may be.

_Author's Notes: Oh snap! Such revelation! Such deception! Such adventure! Will the heroes find Thomas and foil his villainous plot? We shall see, yes?!  
_


	33. The Crystal Tear

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXXIII – The Crystal Tear**

It came to no surprise that when they came into the vast caverns before the Ancient Castle, Thomas Geeda's pawns were right there waiting. As Clyde thrust his sword through another man's torso, he began to take in all of his surroundings right when the rush of memory came back to him. Not only did he recall his recent dream very vividly, but his past encounter here as a whole slowly fit itself around that. He remembered Edgar's immense curiosity about exploring the unknown when they entered the cavern for the very first time. He remembered them stumbling around blindly for a while after the fight with the Master Pug, and then he remembered the awe of locating an entire castle with its surrounding features deep in the underground.

The Ancient Castle was much larger than either Doma or Figaro, and its exterior held several toppled turrets, a path of several stairs leading up to the fortress, and broken rocks and other debris from the ruined castle scattered everywhere. There was even an underground stream surrounding the structure and its thick, demolished ramparts. He distinctly recalled Edgar's shocked reaction when they had set eyes upon the great building. Then, the king began to explain the history of the castle as if reciting it straight from a book. Apparently, it was a major battlefield during the War of the Magi, where the great esper Odin was summoned by the soldiers of the castle to fight against their invading enemies. The battle took a drastic turn, however, when Odin was petrified into stone and the fight was lost. He, along with Celes, Locke, and Edgar, explored the empty castle, running into a violent encounter with a glowing pink samurai known as the Katana Soul, and the fearsome Blue Dragon. This was also where they located the Odin MagiRock and subsequently transformed it with the tears of another petrified statue of the castle's queen in a hidden basement. It was a very mysterious place that none of them truly understood from their short tenure there, but Clyde was very concerned with Thomas Geeda's intentions concerning the old castle.

"Come on guys! Just keep moving forward! Don't give these brutes anymore attention than they deserve to be struck dead!" Locke called to his comrades as he made way across the cavern and straight through the opposing side.

It was not a particularly difficult fight to fight, as the fiasco in Geeda's city and Figaro Castle simply seemed to repeat themselves with the overwhelming masses and weak soldiers. Things became interesting, however, when the creatures of the cave suddenly arrived and began mauling through the Legion of the People, creating a much clearer route towards the Ancient Castle for the fine heroes. Although, many of them had to duck when a line of archers was thrown across the cavern by a mad goblin.

"Oh, I really hope Setzer is ok!" Daryl cried again as she narrowly avoided an Imp spell.

"Do not worry, lass. Thou has said it yourself… he is an astounding pilot, and those espers are certainly struggling to keep up!" Siegfried told her, jumping over the red, fleshy body of a defeated Enuo monster.

As the Legion of the People became disoriented from two different sides running them down, the team found it an easy cruise through the rest of the cave, where Geeda's fiends would be waiting in seclusion only to be mauled by the even sneakier monsters of the area. It really gave the good guys a sense of achievement… that was until the monsters began turning on them as well. Then, the way only became that much harder.

"You'd think that there would be some sort of heavenly grace on this good earth that would keep bullshit like this from happening to us constantly!" growled Sabin as he Suplexed a goblin.

"It's just the vice that comes with the whole 'saving the world' bit!" Locke replied.

"Oh my! Perhaps I should carry some protection!" Owzer cried when a spear almost landed right on his foot… and he subsequently grabbed it for his own claim.

Despite the continuing resistance to their charge, they pressed forward like a herd of Buffalaxes, gradually sustaining insignificant damage from both sides of their assailants. It was a big mess in the cavern, with random corpses strewn about, and as more 'Legioneers' came rushing from further up the path, the crowding only increased in the wide cave.

"It's going to take a while to get to that castle," Edgar muttered.

"We make best of time!" Gau exclaimed, hurling various Rage abilities across the battlefield.

It felt like an eternity had passed when the heroes arrived at the rock steps leading down to a 'safety zone' in the cave system. But, the zone was not necessarily safe with mages hurling magic left and right at them, Celes only able to runic so many at a time before being swamped with power. A moment of reprieve came when Terra was able to cover some of the team with Shell magic before losing her energy.

"Oh no! We don't have any more ethers do we?" she cried.

Then, a most terrible crash sounded as the wall behind them exploded, very nearly blocking their way up to the Ancient Castle, which was held off by soldiers anyway however. Out of the large hole that remained of the blast came the slithering visage of Terrato, almost taking up all the leftover space of the area as it slid hungrily in. The giant snake made a snap at Interceptor, who was attempting to claw at its thick, rocky hide, but Umaro stepped in just in time, holding the serpent's jaws open with his hands. The esper tried with all of its might to close its mouth and push the yeti away, but the great snowman held his ground and kept his hands firmly clamped in place. Then, in a moment of desperation, Terrato shook its body madly, causing the ground to quake all around them. The soldiers on the outward stairway looked around frantically as rocks began falling from the ceiling and the walls began to crack and fragment. Clyde was first to take advantage of their confusion, dashing up the steps and throwing the soldiers aside like empty trash bins. The rest quickly followed, dealing as much damage as they could to the snake esper and their pursuing enemies as they exited the trembling cavern.

"Kupo! Come on Umaro!" Mog shouted.

In a last effort of nobility, Umaro threw Terrato's shaking head into the wall, stunning it for a moment while he roughly elbowed his way through Geeda's forces to catch up to his friends. He and Mog were the last to ascend when the quaking had collapsed half of the roof of that section of the cave, crushing the members of the Legion that had tried to follow. When the group came upon the ruins of the Ancient Castle, they were once again not surprised to find the Legion of the People awaiting them. Those who had not seen the ruins before only had a second to marvel at the sight before they were thrown into battle again. Then, it was only a short time after the battle had begun that Terrato came roaring from the rubble behind them, heavy rocks and rubble spewing everywhere, crashing into people, the towers, the castle walls, everything. Some of the team even took a few hits from the smaller pieces, but this was the least of their problems when the giant snake began winding its way around their cluster.

"Shit! Split up now!" Locke hollered, shuffling away from the group as they broke apart.

Terrato's giant head smashed into the ground repeatedly as it attempted to devour the running people below. Even the Legion had to watch its step when the esper continued to create large holes in the ground with its rock-like snout. Now, the monsters of the caverns refused to come out, which made things only slightly easier in handling this battle, despite the limited interference of the Legion. It was becoming a truly dire situation when running space grew limited through Terrato finishing the collapse of the already-destroyed towers, spreading even more debris across the battlefield, leading the heroes to stumble around half of the time with nowhere else to run.

"He's trapping us in here!" said Relm as she ran around brush-less, ducking from the flying rocks.

"Aqua Breath!" Strago repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time throughout the entire battle, having yet another unsuccessful cast.

"I think we're all running out of magic power!" said Celes.

"My tools are starting to wear out!" Edgar called, having just stowed away his chainsaw after nearly ruining the blade on Terrato's stony body.

"We must make a run for the castle!" said Cyan, sorrowfully stabbing a Doma soldier that attempted to sneak up on him.

"Yes! Run to big castle!" Gau commented, scrambling around madly as enemy mages chased him down with little luck.

"Aaah! Help!" came the voice of Terra.

She had been disarmed of her sword, which was lying several feet away from her, and she was crawling backwards on her hands and feet as a hideous man with an axe stalked after her menacingly, and she had no magic to use. Clyde and Edgar were closest and broke out into a furious run towards them but stopped for a second when they realized that the other was going. Then, in what was probably Clyde's most uplifting moment, Edgar nudged his head in Terra's direction as if to simply tell him without words, "Go save her." Clyde nodded with the utmost respect for the king now, continuing his run and launching his sword through the air and into the man's leg. When he came upon him, he grabbed the dumbfounded soldier and slew him with his own axe, yanking the sword forcefully from the man's leg upon him falling dead to the ground.

"Need some help, miss?" he said in a light-hearted air, extending his free hand out to her.

She gave him a wide, beautiful smile and tenderly placed her hand in his. He pulled her up to her feet and did not let go of her hand even as she completely regained her composure. She then pointed out to him that the others had begun to rush towards the Ancient Castle, shoving Geeda's troops out of the way with the angry Terrato pursuing. Clyde hastily ran to her sword nearby, delivering it to her before they ran hand in hand towards the castle themselves, leaping across their opposition's dead and the piles of rubble as they neared. With only a second to spare before the great snake would crush them into the ground, the two made a great jump to the wide open doors of the castle, landing harshly inside as Terrato's snout smashed into the stairs outside.

"We're in!" Locke cried with joy.

"Not for long!" shouted a mage as he came running from the room ahead, followed by even more Legion warriors.

"How did he recruit so many people?! This is impossible!" said Daryl as she mimicked Sabin's Air Blade Blitz.

Not even daring to think about the prospect of defeat at this time, the group felt more empowered than ever, despite sustaining gradually increasing damage and sporting many wounds all over. With the final stretch of battle in sight before them, they fought with a relentless tread that tore apart the ranks of Geeda's 'organized' forces. Even without the aid of magic to combat many of the magic-exclusive soldiers, the heroes crushed their foes with surprising teamwork. Locke even ignored it when an arrow came flying into his shoulder, continuing his assault on the masses. Many of them could not help but smile as they fought alongside each other just as they had so many times before, pushing aside the minions of Kefka and not stopping for even a minute. Surely if they could beat a psychopathic jester augmented with the power of gods, then they could defeat a well-dressed pretty boy that had some flashy moves with a sword.

"You will never reach the master!" cried a kid that could be no older than sixteen, and was promptly shut up by Clyde knocking him over the head with his sword hilt.

"I'm sure the _master_ has been waiting for us anyway!" said Sabin, kneeing a heavyset mage in the groin.

"How true to speak!" Geeda called from ahead.

Everyone in the fight looked ahead through the open archway of the chamber they were in, seeing Thomas Geeda's sadistic grinning face in the castle throne room, casually pretending to brush dust from his shoulders. The Legion seemed unsure of what to do, as their master's presence here was surprising to them as well. Naturally, they slowly cleared away from the fight, backing up into the throne room with the heroes coming after them cautiously. Geeda laughed at the scene and launched Figa at them, only to have the attack promptly absorbed by Runic. Celes was finally learning how to battle with Thomas.

"Ah, improved your game have you?" he taunted.

"Screw you!" Celes shouted, rushing forward into the room only to be suddenly surrounded by the Legion.

In the chaos that followed, Celes could hardly focus on her next move before being struck in the back with a heavy mace. She let out a loud cry of pain and fell to the floor, the soldiers cheering heartily at this achievement. Their victory was cut short, however, when Locke and Edgar had forced their way to Celes and began massacring her attackers. Siegfried and Sabin followed their lead and created another rift in the congregation of the Legion. The battle continued with more ferocity than ever, as the bad guys desperately tried to strike the fallen Celes, but she was luckily pulled to safety by Owzer and Strago, who found it mildly difficult to fight in their old age, and Strago being without his magic.

"Oh, what a pity! Can't absorb magic anymore, can you?! Aero!" shouted Tom.

No one had a chance to grab hold of something before the great whirlwind manifested itself in the room, throwing around the heroes and villains alike, knocking them into pillars, walls, suits of armor, anything within sight. It was a drastic change of pace when the tornado cleared away and a great huddle of destruction was left behind, Thomas Geeda laughing all the while as he ambled towards the passage that led to a side room, which eventually lead down to the secret basement of the castle… not even noticing the many ethers that had rolled out from the robes of his defeated mages. He smiled at his apparent victory and left the weakened people to themselves.

"Now to business," he said to himself happily.

With no more disruptions coming his way, he entered the room and immediately took to the stairs, knowing that the rest of the Legion remained either outside the castle or in the caverns, other than the ones remaining in his city in reserve… but that hardly mattered now that he was only moments away from absolute glory and power. He entered the chilly castle basement and saw it the moment he had entered the room… the great stone statue of a beautiful woman, waiting at the head of the chamber. With an impatient stride, he practically jogged over to the statue and observed it heavily for a moment, putting his hand to his black-haired chin.

"Now… where is it, statue?" he said, feeling around on the petrified sculpture, examining everything he could, and most importantly the eyes.

"Damn you, where is that tear?! If the great Odin can harness such power, then _I_ will too! Nothing can stop me! Give me the tear!" he shouted, shaking the statue.

He threw his hands to the cold face of the woman, feeling every grain of her delicate facial features, staring at her intently as he became incredibly antsy and angry, squeezing his fingers tightly on the stone.

"The game is up, Tom!" shouted Clyde as he came running down from the stairs, followed by Siegfried, Edgar, and Cyan.

Thomas looked at them with a hint of panic in his eyes. This was certainly unexpected, and had no anticipation of dealing with these pests again. They approached menacingly; looking completely healed from everything they had suffered in the battle, and prepared to finish Thomas Geeda off once and for all. Then, in the midst of his panicked moment, he felt a strange liquid formulate into his hand and almost instantly grow solid. He looked at his left hand in shock, finding a large, electric-blue, tear-shaped crystal in his hand. The four men had seen it as well, and stopped halfway across the basement, staring at the great glow.

"I beg to differ sirs… my game has only just begun!" he growled, pointing his left hand at them with the crystal held tightly in his fingers.

They were absolutely stunned when a brilliant display of lightning bolts came spilling from his hand through the crystal. With more power than any thunder magic they had experienced, the destructive bolts exploded every surface they hit, hammering into the four warriors and tossing them all the way across the room and straight into the back wall, rendering them incredibly weakened now. When the others had heard the sound, Daryl, Terra, and Sabin came hurrying down the stairs to see their comrades lying in a heap, groaning loudly.

"Oh my-"

"Incredible isn't it?!" Geeda shouted, firing the same magic at the three of them and sending the trio sprawling down the stairs just as defeated.

He laughed maniacally, gloating over the collapsed group before him. He then proceeded to draw his sword, holding it up in the glint of the bright torchlight covering the room. With a quick smirk at his own reflection, he filed the flat of the blade right across the Crystal Tear, watching with wide eyes as his sword began to glow the same electric blue color, humming deeply with power. Before the remaining team could inspect the chaos below, Thomas came sprinting up the stairs with his empowered sword, scraping it across the stone ground as he reentered the throne room. The floor then exploded with power, firing chucks of rock straight at the heroes, who had not been completely healed by Terra, but were well enough to duck out of sight.

"Yes! Flee you maggots! Watch as I proceed to outdo that useless Kefka!" he shouted hysterically, looking particularly manic with his wide eyes and insane laughter.

Clyde was roused to consciousness when he felt the ground rumbling. Fearing that Terrato had returned, he crawled around looking for his sword, and realized soon that they were moving. He wasn't sure how, but the Ancient Castle was actually moving somewhere. As the rumbling grew more intense, the walls of the chamber slowly began to break apart in small pieces. The other six had been shaken awake by now, and they looked around nervously as the quaking got even stronger. When a large ray of moonlight suddenly came through a small crack in the wall, their fear was flushed out by immense curiosity. Then, the entire right wall crumbled apart when that side of the floor gave away, and the seven of them hastily crawled towards the stairs, finding just enough strength to flee to safety.

"What is going on?!" Edgar shouted, seeing the strange sight of the night-covered Figaro desert just outside the open wall, disappearing from sight seconds later.

Meanwhile, the others had only barely escaped from the Ancient Castle as it rose from the ground and continued to lift into the sky, supported by a great column of earth that began to shape itself like a thin mountain as it gained altitude. When they had landed on the sand of the Figaro desert, right on the coastline, they were all amazed to see Setzer flying down to them in the airship, the vessel completely undisturbed.

"Setzer! You're alright!" Locke called, receiving a smile and a thumbs up from the captain, who was sweating profusely.

"Don't just stand there like a bunch of sitting ducks! Celes looks like she's in trouble down there! Get up here!" Setzer shouted back.

Indeed, Terra had been unable to fully bring Celes relief with a simple Cura spell, but she was at least awake and smiling, still suffering an incredible pain in her back, however… so much that Locke was now carrying her across the desert and aboard the airship while the great mountain had finally risen to its peak, protruding from the sea like a giant, moonlit stalagmite, the Ancient Castle barely balancing on the top, having broken apart in several places.

"Aren't we missing some people- where's Daryl?!" said Setzer.

"We think Geeda hit them pretty hard when they went after him in the basement! They're still up there we hope!" Strago explained.

Setzer needed no more explanation and began to take them up into the sky. This plan was interrupted suddenly by Terrato, who came bursting from the ground with its mouth wide open, attempting to close its heavy jaws on the back end of the ship. The only way to avoid this was for Setzer to dive back towards the ground, only to put themselves in danger of the snake's large and flexible body. Locke looked over the edge in fear at the great brown, scaly body of the esper… if they had some potions then they could just jump over and fight while Setzer retrieved the others. And, as if reading his mind several steps ahead, Owzer had disappeared and reappeared from below deck in a flash, tossing a supply of high potions to whomever he could, and a single ether to Strago. None of them knew that they had such a cache waiting on the ship, as they always carried their supplies on them, but this was yet another defining moment in Owzer's heroic career, and possibly the work of deus ex machina.

"Alright, we'll take care of this big boy… Setzer, take care of Celes," said Locke as he downed two full high potions.

Setzer gave him an honest nod and veered around the curves of Terrato's reared up body, dropping down to where the hull barely scraped along the ground. Celes, who realized that she would be in no condition to fight for a while, lent Relm her own sword just to put it to some use before she was carried below deck by Sir Owzer to be kept safe in one of the resting rooms. Then, Locke, Strago, Relm, Interceptor, Umaro, Mog, and Gau all took a fateful leap down to the desert, where the snake awaited their arrival and immediately charged for the group. Setzer bade them good luck as they scattered to avoid the esper, and he took the vessel up sharply into the sky, praying in his mind that his friends were all right… most importantly Daryl, who had only just been returned to his life. So, with a quick boost of Setzer's favorite button that had become very handy in avoiding six very powerful espers, he rocketed towards the great castle and tossed his hair in the great wind. Here they were once again, fighting evil at what seemed like the most critical moment for the world. Was this the final battle? Was this the deciding factor in the fate of their land? All sixteen (seventeen if Interceptor actually considered such things) of them knew the importance of this hour, and they were prepared to make it count, severely weakened or not.

"Come on guys… we're not letting him get away with this," Clyde grunted, wincing as he pulled himself up the stairs, dragging his sword loosely behind him.

"Let's do it!" Sabin replied, crawling after him with the others following very slowly but surely behind.

"Yeah, let's kick his ass," Daryl added weakly.

_Author's Note: Holey rusted metal, Batman! What's going to happen next?! Could there possibly be a rumble with Terrato near the base of the new mountain? Could Bahamut and Tritoch possibly return to cause more grief? Could Thomas Geeda possibly exploit even more unheard of power of the mysterious Crystal Tear? Oh it's getting so tense now! Don't you just love it?! _


	34. Balance to Ruin

**Final Fantasy VI-2: Clyde's Journey**

**Chapter XXXIV – Balance to Ruin**

Sand flew up everywhere as Terrato thrashed about wildly, and in the darkness of the night it became much more difficult for the heroes to see what things they could potentially be running into. Casting blindly, Strago hit the esper right in the face with Aqua Breath, barely deterring it from shaking the ground with powerful quakes. Umaro and Gau then tried to wrestle its restless tail, only succeeding in being repeatedly slammed roughly into the sand. None of them really saw much hope in this battle, seeing as how they only engaged Terrato to distract it from the ship. Despite this, they kept the beast confused by running around like maniacs in the dark, striking its long body randomly so that it would not know who to crush first. Still, Relm felt a little left out, because she could barely carry the weight of Celes' sword without the proper accessories, which they obviously did not have.

"Damn sword! Come on!" she growled, tugging the heavy weapon behind her.

"I feel like we've done this one too many times!" Strago wheezed, struggling to keep up.

Inside the castle above, Clyde and company had been victorious in exiting the deteriorating basement chamber, just barely able to stand and trudge their way towards the steps to the throne room.

"We can do it!" Clyde huffed, helping Terra move along she latched onto his arm.

"Clyde! I would like to take these moments and apologize for-" Cyan began.

"Not necessary," Clyde said quickly.

"If I could just get more ethers," Terra whimpered as she leaned on Clyde for support.

Then, behind them came a loud, windy sound and the familiar whine of an engine. Turning around with hopeful expressions, they all beamed when Setzer's smirking face became visible through the massive hole to the outside, the airship hovering right next to the crumbling ground. He ran to the edge of the ship and gave them a friendly wave.

"Need a lift?" he called.

"Oh, Setzer!" Daryl cried, feeling a sudden burst of strength as she ran for the ship.

They all abandoned the plan of entering the throne room and pushed themselves towards the awaiting vessel by the half-basement, which seemed to become yet another timely situation that had saved them from utter defeat. Daryl was the first aboard, sharing a hasty embrace with her lover before she assisted Cyan, and then Siegfried. Terra had just begun to climb the ladder up when Clyde noticed movement in the corner of his eye. His glance shot up to the stairs where Thomas Geeda had appeared with his evil smile, along with his glowing blue sword and the Crystal Tear still equipped to his other hand. It was here that Clyde completely forgot his hopes of running to safety, and made a forceful step in the direction of his archenemy.

"What the… Clyde NO!" Sabin exclaimed, trying to grab his friend by the shoulders and pull him back.

"Back off Sabin!" Clyde growled.

"Oh! Miss Terra! I located this on the ship!" Sir Owzer hollered, juggling an ether vial in his trembling hands.

Terra dropped back to the floor of the basement with an incredible soreness in her body that she could only suppress by staying knelt on the ground. She struggled to grab the ether as Owzer passed it down, but was able to swallow the entire silver liquid in nearly one gulp. She then looked on in fright as the Figaro brothers were attempting to coax Clyde away from Thomas, who waited patiently at the top of the stairs. All three of them were considerably weak, so Clyde could not push them away, nor could they stop his advance, and she could see the increasing hunger in Geeda's eyes as they approached.

"Yes! Come and fight me Clyde! I've caused you so much trouble… you must want to take rightful vengeance! FLARE!"

"Reflect!" Terra screamed only a second before.

A bright white shield flashed across the trio, a blue glow outlining their bodies after. They looked at themselves with visible surprise when Tom's enhanced Flare magic, which was a very deep red instead of its normal orange and had a considerably larger explosion radius, left them completely unscathed and suddenly rebounded back to the caster after a flash of green came over them. Geeda let out a startled yell as he was blown back by his own magic, the walls blasting open from the effects.

"Dispel! Curaga!" she called.

Her heart gave a great leap when both spells worked perfectly, the Dispel removing all three Reflects and the Curaga shining brightly across them and rejuvenating them to nearly full health. Then, she fell over on the floor and collapsed into unconsciousness, never before using magic so aptly. Clyde was about to rush to her aid when Siegfried took the honor of bringing her to the safety of the airship.

"You guys go heal up! We'll take care of Thomas now!" Edgar called.

"You cannot face him alone while he possesses that evil crystal!" Cyan replied.

"We couldn't face him alone even if he didn't have the crystal, but that doesn't matter anymore. If we all get on that airship, he'll target everyone at once. This way, you can get yourself some help!" Clyde called back.

"Yeah! We're going to try! Come back for us when you fix yourselves up!" said Sabin, popping his knuckles.

With an incredible reluctance, Setzer obliged their stubborn request and began to fly away from the castle. But, a blue glow from above the stairs signified something very bad about to happen.

"Perhaps this fortress is in need of some redecoration! Maybe your friend's airship can take some of the burden! QUAKE!" Geeda yelled.

The Ancient Castle gave an incredible shake and suddenly began to collapse around the three of them, the floor falling into the mountainside and the walls shattering to pieces in mid-air. A bookshelf from the room ahead came tumbling down the stairs, almost pushing Edgar off the stone ground and into the abyss of the world below. The three of them waited for the shelf to fall away before making a panicked run up the stairs as everything fell apart. Looking back at the open sky and ground beneath them, Clyde could see the turrets of the structure splashing into the ocean, some even crashing into the sand below where Terrato was barely visible in the moonlight. Then, a loud wooshing noise came right over their heads when Thomas had fired his nonverbal Shockwave spell. Amplified by the crystal, this shockwave tore through the walls of the Ancient Castle and sent massive chunks of debris flying through the air, the entire structure breaking apart from the magical forces. The three heroes had barely jumped onto the safety of the rocky mountaintop when the floor gave away with the rest of the castle.

"Oh shit," said Sabin as he watched the pieces of the castle fly through the air.

This incident was as if the entire castle had literally exploded, and entire sections of wall were now falling down from the sky, right over the airship as it tried to escape. Geeda was giggling like a child as sections of the ramparts and towers rained down upon the flying vessel, and Setzer was nearly tearing the control stick free of the helm as he evaded through the debris. Large stones banged against the engines and came flying across the deck as he swooped and swerved. He resorted to blasting some of the airborne masses with the lasers, which only made the pieces small and that much more capable of crushing someone on board.

"You guys might want to hide below deck for this!" he shouted over the howling wind of his acceleration and the crashing of material all around them.

None of them needed telling twice, except for Daryl of course, who refused to leave his side and frustrated him greatly.

"Daryl, get to safety!" he shouted.

"No! I was separated from you for far too long, and I'm not about to put even more distance between us when we're both in danger!" she retorted.

"But if something happens up here-"

"It will happen to us _together_!"

This seemed to lift Setzer's spirits. He put his piloting skills to the ultimate test here when heavy pieces continued to descend from above and he maneuvered around in ways he never thought possible. Even through suffering some damage on the top of the ship, things turned out well when the remnants of the Ancient Castle finally splashed into the ocean or rocketed into the ground below.

"Yeah! I did- SHIT!" Setzer cried as Bahamut and Tritoch came flying from above.

On the mountain, Geeda smirked as his espers chased after the airship, finding the repetition of this scenario to be mildly amusing in his moment of triumph now. He was hardly broken of his optimism even when Clyde came charging after him and they clashed swords. What Clyde realized all too late what a mistake this was after Thomas dealt a single strike with his glowing blade. The power of the blow sent Clyde reeling backwards until he stumbled over his own feet and rolled right up to the edge of the flat mountaintop, only inches away from falling to his doom.

"Your insignificant weapons cannot challenge me!" Tom Geeda taunted.

Edgar challenged this notion by prodding at him with his spear, Thomas nearly breaking it in half when he slashed at the thing. The king quickly replaced it with his powerful Chainsaw and locked metal with the villain for a moment before the blue glow in Thomas' sword disappeared. Edgar was subsequently thrown to the ground with an enhanced Fira spell, and Tom quickly scraped the blade across the crystal again, returning it to its glowing, empowered status. He had no time to recover, however, when Sabin came leaping at him with his Bum Rush Blitz, wailing his fists into Geeda's torso. Tom stumbled backwards with a violent cough as he turned his body away from Sabin, then he swung back around and hammered the hero in his shoulder with the sword. The hit created a deep gash in his flesh and knocked him clear over the edge that was yards away.

"NO!" Edgar shouted, sprinting over and peering down to see his brother clinging to a large cleft for dear life, his right shoulder bleeding profusely.

"Ah damn! I can't hold on much longer!" he yelped.

"FIGA!" Thomas shouted, directing the crystal at Edgar.

It was like a giant hole tore through the night sky and a bright ray of golden sunlight had shone down on Edgar's position. The intense beam exploded into that edge of the mountain and sent earth and rock flying everywhere, along with both Figaro brothers as they were launched down the side of the great mountain. The bright light disappeared instantaneously and darkness was restored to the land as disoriented madness ensued. Clyde sat still by the mountain edge, watching bright flashes from the ground battle with Terrato, and every now and then he saw the airship whiz by with the two flying espers shooting their attacks after it, Setzer's loud cursing echoing across the sky. Concerned about Edgar and Sabin, he tried to scan the rest of the mountain, but had a very limited view of it, and continued to attempt to develop some sort of plan… with nothing coming to mind.

"Now, with less distractions… I can continue my work!" said Tom as he began waving his sword in the air.

As the electric blue light swayed in the darkness, a heavy wind developed, and wispy contours began to surround the mountain. It gradually increased into a great storm, where rain began to fall and lightning streaked out from the night sky. Sand and the sea blew everywhere in the harsh tempest, making the ground assault on Terrato impossible. Setzer was having a difficult time controlling the airship against the wind, and the espers seemed to loose their flying agility also. This gave Sabin the perfect chance to hit Bahamut in the tail with Aura Bolt as he stood on a wide ledge of the mountain, his sibling waiting beside him. Bahamut quickly pulled away from its chase and rammed head first into the mountain, nearly crushing the two vulnerable men. While Tritoch chased Setzer alone, Edgar and Sabin fled as quickly as they could, climbing down the thin shelves of rock as the dragon clawed at them madly.

"This wind is going to throw us off!" said Sabin as he winced from the pain in his shoulder.

"Just hold on as tight as you can!" Edgar replied.

"That's a little difficult when we have to evade this big bastard!"

Bahamut dug its claws deeply into the mountainside as it crawled along, lumbering after the two heroes with a Mega Flare waiting to fire. It halted for a moment when the mountain gave a quick shake from a tremor from Terrato down below. Thomas Geeda chuckled as he looked over the edge of the mountain, observing the continuing carnage while the storm and rain swirled around them, spreading slowly across the world with the extensive power of the crystal. Little did he realize that Clyde had just flung his sword at him, and whirled around at the last minute to the noise of the whistling weapon. He quickly covered himself with his own sword, letting Clyde's ricochet off his blade right in the nick of time, as things so often seemed to happen with his evil luck. Clyde gave a strained, nervous gulp when he saw his sword point stick in the ground, set right next to Geeda.

"Very well Clyde… I can see you are a difficult man to discourage," Thomas said calmly, formulating an idea when his sword stopped glowing again.

"How about… we fight like true gentlemen: sword to sword. No magic, and no dirty tricks… just natural, cold steel. Mine," he said as he pointed his blade tip at Clyde, "and yours," he finished, gesturing to Clyde's sword only feet away while storing the Crystal Tear in a pocket on his uniform.

Clyde had no idea what to take from this, and he proceeded forward with great caution as the wind hissed around them and the torrential rain never ceased. Tom took a few steps away from the sword, giving Clyde the chance to carefully tug it from the ground and prepare himself for a moment. The two men then began to square off, circling each other on the dirt without breaking eye contact for a second. Clyde was feeling very nervous right now, as he had never formally dueled anyone, and had a feeling that Geeda would be taking this very seriously. Who was supposed to make the first move? Would he hold to his 'no magic and no tricks' policy? Would Clyde even be able to beat such a seasoned swordsman? He quickly threw these questions out of his mind when Thomas made the first lunge, aiming a low swipe at his legs.

"Engarde!" he said with delight.

Clyde jumped backwards to avoid the attack and made his own advance, aiming high on Thomas so that he would force him to raise his sword up. The wicked duel began, and tiny sparks began to fly as metal brutally struck metal. They traveled all over the place, assaulting each other madly. Thomas' strikes were driven by strength while Clyde preferred the use of his speed, and despite his own agility, he found himself being overpowered by Thomas in the early stage of the duel. He shuffled his feet quickly and could only hope that his grace and dexterity would eventually prove useful, and Tom simply grinned the entire time. The battle raged on with neither man showing a sign of fatigue even after several minutes had passed. Clyde had gained the upper hand in several situations, which led to Geeda putting forth more effort than usual, showing an obvious strain in dueling someone so proficient with the sword now. Clyde began to gain confidence as Geeda showed more hesitation, and Tom was not expecting this steady comeback.

"You seem to have improved your swordplay, sir!" said Tom, blocking Clyde's low strikes.

"It becomes a lot easier when you don't cheapen it with magic!" Clyde snapped.

On the ground, Terrato was becoming an even further impossibility. With sand and surf blowing in their faces, the earthbound heroes could not continue their random assault tactic and found no other choice but to simply dodge Terrato as it raged about in the storm.

"Come on grandpa! Don't give up now!" said Relm as she pulled Strago along with Interceptor barking like mad, having discarded the burden of Celes' sword.

"Oh, just… too tired… dear," Strago coughed.

"Sand bad! No see!" said Gau as he sneezed out a load of sand from his nose.

"We keep running kupo! Keep monster confused!" Mog exclaimed, having the most trouble moving about due to his small size.

Meanwhile, the airship continued to have its own difficulty with fireballs, icicles, and lighting bolts scuffing the side of it and nearly burning through the hull. Setzer desperately sought out an escape to this, but had already burned enough fuel in his earlier flight against the group of six. There was no way the booster would carry the ship far enough to escape from Tritoch's chase.

"Terra and Celes are starting to feel a little better now!" said Cyan as he came on deck.

"Well, maybe they can magic up some sort of miracle to get us out of this!" Setzer shouted as rain whipped his face.

On the mountain, Bahamut began blasting out giant holes in the rock as Sabin and Edgar made a crazed run down a small path that was closer to the base of the mountain in the ocean. The dragon roared in contempt as they proved ever elusive to its repeated Mega Flare, squinting its eyes as the stinging rain blew in its face.

It was a turbulent scene that could hardly match to the combined troubled they had suffered that day. With fleeing across the sky from several espers on many occasions, to battling hordes of soldiers in a city, a cave system, and across a large castle, and even discovering some disturbing but eventually emotionally-bonding secrets. Everyone had their mission now, and that was to survive this great struggle long enough to find some way of escape. For now, Thomas Geeda was the victor, and they knew not how to organize their efforts enough to battle him, almost to the point of their defeat… but they wouldn't let that happen even if he ended up destroying the world somehow, which seemed incredibly unlikely to them. Kefka may have done so before, but Thomas did not have the power of gods at his disposal.

"Where is the anger you used to fight with, Clyde? What happened to your protective, romantic streak that made you so aggressive?! Trying to play the ruthless mercenary card again?" Tom taunted as they fought fiercely.

"Shut up!" Clyde barked, stabbing at Geeda.

The two danced across the muddy peak of the mountain, becoming even more relentless as the storm raged on. Thomas was now genuinely surprised by Clyde's swordsmanship, and he found him to be on rather equal terms as far as pure skill went. He even nearly forgot what his entire plan was from getting so into the fight, sincerely wanting Clyde to be cut down by his sword. The espers, the crystal he had stowed away, the magic-accumulating storm, all of it was overshadowed by his desire to kill this man. This was brought to a sudden stop when a massive lightning bolt shot down from the sky and impacted right into the mountain, narrowly missing Bahamut.

"Oh my… time's up!" said Thomas as he forced Clyde backwards with a parry.

Thomas then turned away from his opponent, withdrew the Crystal Tear from his pocket, and recharged his sword. As Clyde rushed him from behind, he spun around gracefully and jabbed his sword point at the hero. The blue sword struck Clyde's own and threw him over the edge of the mountain as he yelled out. At this moment, Tritoch had zapped the airship thrusters with lightning, Bahamut had dislodged a massive piece of the mountain with Mega Flare, and Terrato was breaking apart the landscape below with its most powerful quake. A great blue light formed right at the center of the storm and directly above Thomas Geeda. He laughed victoriously as he held his sword up high, small lightning strikes connecting with the blade while Clyde watched in terror as he fell through the air.

"Dammit! I've lost control!" cried Setzer.

"Oh no! There's Clyde!" Daryl shrieked, pointing at Clyde's falling form only feet away from them.

"And the Figaro brothers!" Owzer said as he saw Sabin and Edgar overcome with the collapsing mountainside.

Everything fell apart here. Strago had collapsed from exhaustion and was being carried away from the battle by his friends, while Terrato hunted them down voraciously, still destroying the desert. The airship began to fly around uncontrollably, and those below deck were being thrown around by the force. Edgar and Sabin jumped from the mountain to avoid the crushing rocks and plunged into the stormy waters, and Clyde had come across great fortune as he wrapped his arms around a piece of stone jutting out from the mountain, hanging helplessly in the ferocious wind. Above them all, Tom Geeda gave an embellishing swing of his sword, still laughing like a lunatic.

"And now the cycle is complete! I possess the ultimate power, the will of the espers, and total control of this world! I have succeeded in outdoing Kefka, the fool! The Apocalypse will be a mere memory today! And for my next trick!" he shouted through the wind, rain, and thunder.

He rotated the empowered sword to where the point faced the ground. Then, with a final scream of amusement, he plunged the shining blade into the mountain. A low, sonorous hum sounded as an electric blue beam fired down from the sky right over Thomas. This was followed by a giant tremor surging through the earthen tower, and then a great, booming noise. All along its conical structure, rings of dirt and rock exploded downward as if bombs had been placed straight down the core of the mountain. Clyde was caught fully by one of the rings and thrown through the air yet again, feeling a surge of harsh pain, while Sabin and Edgar swam away frantically to avoid the further falling debris. The mountain crumbled apart and the entire ground trembled severely. Even Terrato became bewildered at this point.

"What the hell is going on?!" said Locke, looking around in confusion.

Huge rifts tore through the ground, and water began shooting out of the earth, flooding the entire landscape at a frightening rate. Large, crashing storm surges splashed everywhere and the ocean rose to meet the flood, covering the whole desert. As the mountain collapsed into the water, waves grew even bigger in the chaos and overwhelmed Locke and his friends on the ground. Terrato let out a mad hiss before it was pulled into the sea where it sank like a rock, never to be seen again. The worldwide flood intensified further, and the towns like South Figaro, Jidoor, and Kohlingen became covered by this cataclysm. The airship broke in half mid-flight, reminding Setzer of the very incident that turned the World of Balance into the World of Ruin. He wrapped his arms around Daryl and shut his eyes tightly as they fell through the storm, diving straight for the overflow of the ocean. He could hear the frightened screams of his friends as the great ship shattered apart completely when Tritoch slammed into its remains, not seeing the heroes falling to their imminent doom. Clyde could see nothing in the fading moonlight as he dropped from the mountain, and the only thing he could think about was his friends… would they live to see him again? Would he live to see him again? Was this the end, and had Thomas truly won? These ideas became too much to bear, and he closed his eyes before being dunked in the chilly water.

"And now it begins... a world torn apart by disaster will soon become vulnerable to the likes of another, and I will consume both for everything they are worth when the time comes," Thomas Geeda mused as he observed the insanity unfolding while he stood atop the hovering Bahamut.

The team had been unwillingly torn apart by this catastrophe and many of them blacked out as they were carried away by the tide. History had repeated itself. Locke swam through the torrents of wetness with a panicked search for Celes, not daring to give up on his friends even in this disaster. His search proved to be in vain, however, because all of them were swept off to separate parts of the world with no control over their destination… and Geeda smiled to himself and assumed them doomed from the start. No one could have predicted this turn of events, and the citizens around the world were caught completely by surprise when an abundance of ocean wrecked their homes. Only the Legion of the People was prepared for this, and they smiled as their master did, secured in the safety of the elevated Narshe region, feeling that this was the true cleansing of the world's tyranny, their blank, closed minds not understanding the dark severity of their master's actions. It was a horrible day for many. Soldiers had lost their lives, families had lost their loved ones, and the largest and most courageous group of friends that was the only hope for the world had lost each other to the hand of a madman. Through the world's losses came Thomas' gains, and he set out to restore his own flooded city where he would eventually create his own, all-powerful empire of the seas, the Crystal Tear glowing ominously in his hand.

_**Later**_

She woke up to the sound of surf and the sight of the shining sun. Her memory still hazy, she looked around to see an empty, barren land with water as far as the eye could see. Slowly, the memories of yesterday came back… and she recalled the horrible start of the morning to the even worse end of the night. They had been defeated, and the world was ruined further than it had ever been. None of her friends were around, she was soaking wet, and not a single establishment was nearby. Her recollections grew more vivid and she staggered up to her feet on the beach, finally finding the strength to stand. She was lost and alone now, and had no idea what was in store for their world… only that she was hopeless and unable to help anymore.

"Oh… Shad- Clyde," Terra whispered, holding her hands together tightly and closing her eyes in the cool morning breeze.

She could not help but cry now. She wept heavily at the idea of their defeat and the possible demise of her best friends. This was just when she wasn't feeling alone anymore for her heritage, despite the esper part of her most likely no longer existing. No one could save her now, and she had nowhere to run to in the ruined land. This seemed like the end of the line... and all she could do was cry. She had no one to lean on, no one to protect, no one to love. She had no hope. Then, there was a soft thud in the sand beside her when a pigeon landed on the ground. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a message attached to the bird. With a desperate curiosity, she removed the message and opened it to read:

_To whoever finds this note… or whomever this note finds: Don't give up. The world may be gone, but the nobility of the just is not. Find resolve to continue your life and fight back against the evil that plagues this great ocean now. Take care of yourself and don't let yourself be defeated. And my friends that fought along with me for so long, if this is any of you… you know we all still have a job to do, and Thomas Geeda has not won. We will find each other eventually. – King Edgar Roni Figaro_

Her tears came even harder now as she clutched the paper, picturing the valiant and noble faces of her friends as they recollected themselves after the disaster. There was hope, and at least one comrade was still out there with a belief in their cause. Maybe the end was not here, and maybe this was just another break in the journey… just like before. With renewed vigor and confidence, Terra folded the note and put it in a pocket, looking up to the sky with her teary eyes. There was hope yet.

"Yes, we will find each other eventually," she repeated.

**To Be Continued**

_Author's Note: Well, there it is… the end of Clyde's Journey! Never fear though, the adventure is far from over, and you can expect Clyde's Odyssey to arrive sometime in the near future. (Now, I'm not going to publish it in just a few days, but maybe give it a month or two's time and you will find your satisfaction in the continuation of the epic.) Now, some of you might consider this a little 'open ended', and I'm sorry to say that is how a 'To Be Continued cliffhanger' should be. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far though! Just have patience and await the fantastic conclusion to Clyde's lengthy excursion!_


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